Visions of the Heart
by Wingleader Sora Jade
Summary: A beating from Bakura leaves Ryou blind, and a spell leaves him cut off from his yami and vulnerable to the Shadow Realm... Which wants his pure heart for its own. *Completed* This time everything really is over... Or not...
1. Bakura's Attack: Ryou's Blind?

Visions of the Heart 

by WSJ 

WSJ: *glances up at you* Kobon-wa minna-san. *sighs and looks down at the sketch pad in her lap. She wrinkles her nose at it, tears off the top sheet, crumples it into a ball and tosses it over her shoulder* 

Ryou, Yami and Bakura walk up behind her. Yami reaches down and picks up one of the many crumpled paper-wads, unrumpling it so the three can look. 

Ryou: Hey, WSJ, this is pretty good. 

WSJ: *jumps and turns around to see Yami holding up a wrinkled picture of himself, and Ryou and Bakura looking around at the other discarded drawings* 

WSJ: No way! You three are the hardest to draw in the entire show! It's your hair and eyes, I can't get them. Even _Malik and Joey_ are easier to draw then you three! 

Bakura: Um... Sure, if you say so. So what story is this? 

WSJ: *puts down her pad and pencils, grins evilly* It's another one all 'bout you and Ryou. Called _Visions of the Heart_. 

Ryou: *groans* Not the one where I- 

WSJ: *jumps up and puts her hand over Ryou's mouth* ^.^;; Don't tell the readers!!! 

Ryou: -_-;; Gomen nasai... 

Bakura: Hey Yami, what'cha doin'? 

Ryou and WSJ turn around to see Yami doodling on WSJ's sketch pad with Bakura looking over his shoulder. He looks up breifly, then hold up the paper which says "WSJ doesn't own Yu-gi-oh!" 

WSJ: ^_^ Couldn't have said it better if I tried! I actually wrote most of this chappie in study hall today, so it might be a little shimatte. Excuse my Japanese. 

Ryou: WSJ, watch your language! 

WSJ: *blinks* Well at least I have the courtesy to say it in another language. 

Bakura: ^^;; On to the story! 

WSJ: It's Ryou's POV. 

()()()()() 

As I let my hand lightly rest on the doorknob I let my eyes slide closed. Turning my face upwards I revelled in the fading sunlight, wishing that the peace would last. 

After school I'd dared to defy my yami's "no friends" rule and had hung out for hours at the Turtle Game Shop with Yugi and Joey. As long as I was there, with other people, all Bakura could do was rant at me mentally. But now that I was home, alone... 

Dad was on another dig, and had left that morning. He'd been home for the last three weeks, giving my yami, or darkness, no time to "put me in my place", which gave him another reason to do so tonight. 

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, turning the knob so I could open it. The livingroom was dark as I stepped in, but I left it so. I tossed my coat and backpack onto a nearby chair and headed for my room. 

This was the part I hated most, waiting for my yami to make an appearance. He liked to bide his time and make me sweat before he came out to "teach me a lesson". 

I made it all the way into my bedroom and took my shoes off before the Millinium Ring began to glow, hidden now unneccissarily under my shirt. 

My yami, Bakura, immerged from the soft golden glow and stood with his back to me. I backed up against the wall, shuddered and began to tremble in spite of myself. 

He stepped forward and with a jerk drew the heavy curtains tight across my window, shutting out what little light had been filtering in from the dying sunset and streetlamps. 

And I doubted he was about to turn my bedside lamp on, dispite my fear of the dark, which he knew very well and had readily installed in me. 

I took a tentative step toward the switch on the far wall and saw his left hand clench into a fist. Next thing I knew he had spun around, his back-handed punch landing firmly on my temple. I flew backwards, my head slamming painfully into the window sill. 

It seems to me now that I heard a sort of dull crack when I hit, like something in my head had given way, but of course at the time I paid no attention. 

I fell to my knees, holding my pounding head in both hands, and let out a low moan. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bakura's shoes, carbon-copies of my own, come into view. I senced his smirk widen as he registered my pain, but then suddenly his iron grip was clamped around my left wrist. 

I cried out as he pulled my arm up until my hand was right in front of his nose, but he just sneered and twisted it hard in his grip. 

"What's this?" he asked, speaking for the first time since he'd left his soul room. 

I remembered too late the two-hour school assembly that had been held that afternoon. The one Joey and Tristan had slept through. The one where Yugi and I, bored out of our minds, had borrowed one of Tea's pens and doodled all over our hands as the principle droned on in the background. (A/N: Don't you just hate assemblies like that? ^_^;;) 

"I-Yugi and I were bored," I whimpered. 

I risked a look at his face and saw him scowling, but it was also blurry. _'Probably a result of that punch and my meeting with the window.'_ I noted. 

His scowl went from one of distaste to one of impotent rage. "Yugi? Yami's midget? I told you not to hang around with him, slave! And you were there with him this afternoon as well!" 

I whimpered again and dropped my eyes from his face to the blurred floor, not daring to look at him any longer. "I'm sorry Bakura!" Oops. Bad. Wrong move. 

"I'VE TOLD YOU TIME AND AGAIN TO CALL ME MASTER!!!!!!!!" the yami roared in rage. 

I felt something slash across the back of my hand, which he still held in his grasp, and yelped in pain, jerking my head back around to face him. I saw him digging my pocket knife, which I realised suddenly I'd left on the dresser in plain view of my tormentor, along the spidery rose Yugi had drawn in the back of my hand. 

"If you wish so much to have this drawn on your skin, I will draw it in blood." He tore the knife deeper, and I let out another cry. He paid it no heed and continued to trace the drawings that all but covered the skin up to my elbow, tearing his way through muscle, skin and tendons. 

Finally he was finished, and delivered one last punch to my cheek before disappearing back into his soul room. 

I felt weak, and I realised it was from blood-loss. Crimson stains covered my carpet, clothes and hair. I pulled myself into the bathroom and set about cleaning up my arm as best I could. My vision was still a bit blurry, but I had bigger things to worry about at the moment. The skin on my left arm was literally in tatters, and was bleeding heavily. I couldn't move it, and it was completely numb. 

I knew that many, if not all, of the cuts and slashes needed stitches, but I also knew Bakura would kill me if I tried to go to the hospital. So I wrapped it the best I could in gauze, stumbled out onto my bed, and fainted dead away before I'd even hit the pillow. 

~*~ 

When I next woke I could hear birds chirping outside my window and cars honking on the street. Funny, I didn't remember leaving my window open... 

I could also hear someone down below, banging on the front door. Through the window I could faintly hear his calls. 

"Ryou, are you awake? It's Yugi, it's time to go to school!" 

I was suddenly very wide awake and I jerked into a bolt upright possition, sending a wave of nausea rushing through me. Crap crap _crap_! I couldn't let Yugi see my arms! He'd start asking questions, which would put him in danger of my yami as well, with or without _his_ Yami's protection. 

Suddenly something caught up with me and I blinked a few times. {Master?} I asked tentatively. 

[What?] 

{Something's wrong, Yugi's here and I-} 

[Shit, Yugi?!?! What's he want?] 

{I think he's waiting for me to walk to school with him, but Bakura I-} 

For once my yami didn't care, or didn't notice, that I'd actually called him by name. He was out of his soul room in a flash and was leaning out the window. "I'll be right down!" he yelled in a passible imitation of me. 

He turned back around to see me with my head burried in my arms, which rested on my knees, which in turn were pulled up to my chest. 

"What now?" he growled, and I senced him raising his hand to slap me. 

"I-I can't see." 

"Well then open your eyes baka-yarou!" 

"They are." Slowly I raised my head, and I knew for a fact my eyes were wide open. I heard him gasp involentarily and the creek of a floorboard as he took a step back. For an instant, in my mind, I saw through his eyes and almost recoiled at the "sight" of me. My hair and shirt were stained with blood, and tangled into a mess. 

But worst of all were my eyes. Usually blue and sparkling, they were dull. The pupils had faded until they were almost white, and it looked like I was staring through, not at, everything I turned my face toward. 

In that instant, as the picture faded and my mind was plunged back into the darkness of no sight, we both knew. 

I was blind. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *squeals* I'M SO SORRY RYOU-KUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *glomps Ryou* 

Ryou: Dagnabit WSJ, let go! 

Yami: What about aibou? Is he going to find out? 

WSJ: *grins* Wait for chapter two, which probably won't be out for at least a week because of school. For those wondering (and those who aren't) I have chapter 3 of _A Yami of my Own_ almost done, I just have a few more touches to put on. *waves* Ja minna-san, see you in the next chapter! 

God bless minna-san! 


	2. Bakura's Guilt: YamiMalik Snaps Him to h...

Visions of the Heart: Chapter 2 

by WSJ 

*grins* Hi y'all! Sorry this is taking soooo long, but I've been diligently working on _A Yami of my Own_, my Joey-centered fanfic (which is now finished!!!!!!!!) and it's sequel, _Camelot_, which is _mostly_ Ryou-cantered. Go read them? Please? *bats eyelashes* 

()()()()() 

I felt Bakura's stare on me, and for all conventional purposes, I stared back. The fact that I couldn't actually _see_ what I was staring at was a technicallity. 

The trance was broken when down below Yugi again pounded on the door. "Ryou? Are you all right?!?" 

Bakura shook himself and I knew he was scowling. "There's no way you can go out. _I'll_ have to fool them." 

I blinked. "You're actually offering to help me? And there's no _way_ you'll be able to fool Yugi, let alone Yami!" 

Bakura stepped toward me and I flinched away. But he didn't hit me like I'd expected him to. Instead he grabbed a lock of my blood-soaked hair and held it in front of my face, momentarily forgetting I couldn't see it. "You want your precious friend Yugi to see you like _this_?!?!? I swear, if you so much as move from this house I will do a lot worse then just blind you!" 

I whimpered and scooted away, but he seemed suddenly not to notice, or care, as the reality of his own words hit him. "I..." 

He snapped out of it, and I heard him pounding down the stairs, grabbing my coat and backpack from where I'd dropped it. The front door opened and then slammed shut and I strained to hear Yugi's voice. 

"We'd better hurry, we're going to be really late. Did you oversleep Ryou?" 

"Uh, yeah. I was up pretty late last night." 

I could imagine Yugi's eyes widening. "Did Bakura do something to you? I could send Yami after him." 

I had to stiffle a giggle at the knowledge that my oh so lovable yami was seething at that comment, but couldn't do anything about it without blowing our cover. 

It was really _his_ hide he was saving, I realised suddenly. If Yugi and Yami found out what he'd done to me, they'd skin him seven ways from center. I'd just get a lot of sympathy. 

I didn't hear Bakura's answer to Yugi's question because they had passed too far out of earshot on their way to school. 

I sighed and lay back against the pillows. What was I going to do now? It suddenly felt like a ten-ton weight had landed on my shoulders. What was I going to do? How was I going to get around, especially without Bakura here... I could fall down the stairs, or trip and hit my head on something... 

I wished I could just stay in bed all day, then I wouldn't have to worry, but the rumbling of my stomach said something else. 

I sighed and rolled over, feeling for the clock-radio on my bed-side table. I found it and snapped it on. Laying back, I listened to the music for a little while until the DJ came on and announced the time, since I couldn't see the clock. 10:07 AM. Wow, Yugi hadn't been kidding when he said they were going to be late. 

Feeling carefully I found the edge of my bed and stood up unsteadily. My injured left arm dangled helplessly at my side. I started to take a slow step forward and tripped over the shoes I'd left laying there the night before. 

I landed with an 'omph!' and sighed. "This is going to be difficult..." 

I managed to find my way out to the hall extention of the phone and began to pray that Bakura still had my coat on as I dialed my cell phone, which I'd left in the pocket last night. 

There was a click and a "Yeah, what do you want?" growled from the other end. 

I sighed again. "Master, you're supposed to be me..." 

Bakura sounded surprised. "Are you ok? How come you're calling me?" 

I paused. "Are you somewhere you can talk?" 

"Yeah. You caught my in-between classes. I'm hiding in a broom closet." 

I stiffled a chuckle. "I'm hungrey but I can't get down to the kitchen. It's impossible. I need someone here with me to make sure I don't trip or anything." 

Bakura seemed to think about this. "I can't leave school." he said. "Yugi's already suspicious enough as it is." He hesitated, but only for a second. "Call Malik. He's off school today, I think." 

"Are you sure?" I asked. 

"Yeah. I can trust him and his other. They'll help you out." There was a click as my yami hung up. 

Very uncharacteristically I cursed and pressed redial. "What?!?" Bakura practically yelled when he answered. 

"You didn't give me Malik's number." I said meekly. 

"We have it written around somewhere." 

I felt my temper rising. I didn't need this. "Do you think I can _find_ it, let alone _read_ it?" I asked through clenched teeth. 

He seemed a bit taken aback, but didn't say anything. "157-7809." 

"Thanks." I answered curtly, and this time it was I who hung up first. Quickly I dialed in Malik's number before I forgot it. 

"Hello, Ishtar residence, Isis speaking." 

"Isis? Is Malik there? I need to talk to him." 

Isis was surprised, to say the least. "Bakura?" 

"No, Ryou." 

"Oh, ok. I'll get him." 

Several seconds later there was a click as Malik apparently picked up another extention. "'Lo?" He sounded sleepy. 

I sighed. "Sorry, but I need some help." 

He seemed to be trying to place my voice. "Ryou?" 

"Yeah... Listen, can you come over?" 

He was definately surprised. "This isn't one of Bakura's tricks, is it?" 

"No. Please Malik, I'll explain when you get here." 

"Sure... Should I leave the Rod at home?" 

"Nah, Yami-Malik can come too." 

"M'kay, be there soon." There was a click as he hung up. 

~*~ 

That evening when Bakura stomped inside and threw Ryou's backpack down, he was surprised to see only Yami-Malik, who was lounging around the living room. 

"Where are our others? Is Ryou ok?" Bakura asked. 

Yami-Malik glanced up. "Ryou and Malik? Fine. They're in the shower." 

Bakura face-faulted and sweatdropped. "I... Er... Didn't know Malik was like that. It's sure as hell that Ryou isn't..." 

Yami-Malik blinked. "What do you mean?" 

"Um... They're in the _same_ shower?" 

Yami-Malik, in all his bleached-blond density, finally got it. "Malik isn't gay, dimwit! They both have swimming trunks on! How else is Ryou supposed to get all that blood out of his hair?" 

Yami-Malik's face hardened and his eyes narrowed slightly at his own words, as if they reminded him of something. He got up off the couch and strode over to Bakura, who stood there giving him a puzzled look. Then Yami-Malik, glaring daggers at his friend, slapped Bakura. Hard. 

"What did you do to him?" the blond hissed, his nose bare inches from Bakura's. 

The white-haired yami was taken aback, his hand laid absently on his stinging cheek. "What are you talking about?" 

Yami-Malik's eyes narrowed further. "You know very well what I'm talking about. Healthy, fifteen-year-old boys don't suddenly go blind. And they sure don't have the will-power to torture themselves to the point of being as bad off as Ryou is." 

Bakura, having recovered somewhat, just glared back. "How do you know? How are you so sure it isn't self-mutilation?" 

"Because, my 'dear friend', some of those cuts, in fact, _most_ of those cuts on Ryou's arm go all the way down to the bone. The _bone_ Bakura. How could you do that to your own hikari? I know you and I aren't exactly known for our kindness, but what you did was wrong Bakura, even _I_ can't deny that." 

Bakura's knees felt weak. Yami-Malik was right. As much as he hated to admit it, he was _right_. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ^.^ Hurrah! Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Ryou: -.-;; More pain and suffering for me... 

WSJ: Hey, peoples, in honor of my birthday coming up (September 16!) I'm hosting a contest! *grins* Since I usually write depressive angst, the story is going to have to be a humurous one. Here's the rules: 

1) Must be humor. ^^;; Duh! 

2) No yaoi. You can hint at it for humor's sake, but nothing solid. I _hate_ yaoi. 

3) Must be PG-13 or under. 

4) If it's Ryou or Jounouchi cenered, it's a plus, but it doesn't have to be. 

5) **Major!** Somewhere in the story it must contain the line: _Wincing slightly at the noice coming from within, Yugi peered around the doorframe._ **And/or** _An evil smile lighting his face, Yami-Malik reached for the can of whipped creame._

6) Must be posted by **January 1, 2003.**

7) You must have fun!!!!!!!!!!! 

WSJ: ^_^ That's it! I hope you have fun! The winner will get a fanart from me of his/her character of choice, or a scene from their fic and a guest-appearance in one of my stories. The runner-up will get a guest-appearance in any of my up-coming stories, including _Camelot, Visions of the Heart_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh!: The College Years!_

To register send me an e-mail or review the latest chapter of _Visions of the Heart_. You must include you author/authoress name, e-mail address, the name of your fic and a breif summery (if possible). 

I hope you all have fun! Please send me (virtual) birthday presents! *crosses fingers* Fanart would be nice! (especially from _A Yami of my Own_. Plenty of original characters to work with! ^_~) Or just any little virtual trinket!!!!!!!!!!! 

Sayanora! 

God bless minna-san! 


	3. Bakura's Insanity: Voices in his Head?

WSJ: *jumps up and down* Oh s'ank you!!!!!!! *squeals happily* Hey Ryou, I gots som'in for ya! 

Ryou: *hesitantly* Do I want to know what? 

WSJ: Yes. ^_^ *hands him manga, candy and a SailorSaturn plushie* From Hotaru! *cuddles her Jounouchi & Ryou plushies* 

Ryou: ^_^ S'ank you Hotaru! *begins to devour candy. WSJ dives into her birthday cake* 

Yami: *innocently* Can I have some? 

Ryou & WSJ: No! 

Bakura: *peeks around the doorframe* 

WSJ: *jumps up from her cake, pulls Hotaru's Silence Glave from HammerSpace and begins to whack Bakura with it* There! There's _your_ present from Hotaru-sama! 

Bakura: *dazed* Look at all the perty birdies... 

WSJ: *giggles and sends the Glave back to Hotaru* Actually, if I obeyed all the reviews I got you'd be whacked by a rolled up newspaper multiple times, smacked again by Yami-Malik (multiple times), hit/beat up MANY more times and Hotaru's Glave would be shoved where the sun doesn't shine. *giggles again* ^^ But I love you, so I won't. 

WSJ: (again) *cuddles her Ryou2 and Yami plushies* Thanks KaTyA!!!!!!! *grins wickedly* I can't wait to start reading my book! *holds up "25 Ways to Swear in Japanese"* S'ank you!!!!!!!! 

Yami-Malik: *wanders in* What's with all the chibi-talk? 

Ryou: *glances up from his new Sailor Moon manga* Wha'cha mean Malik-chan? *giggles and looks back at the manga* Ooooh! Kick butt Bunny-sama!!!!! 

Yami-Malik: *sweatdrop* Who gave you candy...? 

WSJ & Ryou: Hotaru-chan! 

Yami-Malik: *panics and looks at the audience* Please save me. The Authoress and her favorite character are on a sugar high! HEEEEEELP!!!!!!!!!! *tries to run off and trips over a prone Bakura, who groans but doesn't wake up* Itai... *sees WSJ and Ryou advancing on him* Help? Onegai? 

Note: Sorry about the sudden POV switch in the last chapter. We'll be switching POVs quite a lot now, but I'll warn you before we do. 

Note Numero Dos: When it's Malik talking and he says 'Yami', he usually means his own, and will refer to Yami Yugi as, well, Yami Yugi. Any time Malik _isn't_ talking, however, Yami means Yami Yugi and Yami-Malik is Yami-Malik. 

[....] Ryou to Bakura 

{....} Bakura to Ryou 

^....^ Malik to Yami-Malik 

*....* Yami-Malik to Malik 

()()()()() 

~Malik's POV~ 

Standing next to the sink, wrapped in one of Ryou's father's bathrobes, I moodily plugged in the hair dryer, turning it on myself as Ryou continued to towel his once-again-white hair. 

Still looking at the shy teen, dressed in one of his own robes, I noticed him stiffen slightly. Puzzled, I shut off the hair dryer, not caring that my hair was frizzing away from my head a little more then usual. "Ryou, what's wrong?" 

Ryou turned to me, letting the towel drop to around his hunched shoulders. "B-Bakura, he's home." 

I saw the fear, even in his sightless eyes, and my fists clenched involentarily. I knew my face was burning in anger, and I'm glad Ryou couldn't see it. 

My mind flashed back to when we'd first come about five hours ago. Yami and I had been unable to get in the front door, and Ryou had yelled from his window that the back door was probably unlocked. We hadn't been able to see him properly then. 

Well, we got in, and yelled for Ryou. He called back that he was upstairs, and when we walked in the room I was almost sure of what had happened. 

There was blood all over the bed, as well as Ryou himself, who sat on the floor beside it, hugging his crudely bandaged arms close to him. There was blood seeping through the bandages. 

In two strides I was across the floor and beside him. 'Ryou, what _happened_?' 

My yami came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. 'You know as well as I that Bakura happened.' 

So we'd gotten Ryou's arm rebandaged as best we could, and made a mental promise to take him to the hospital as soon as he was a bit more stable. It had actually been a few minutes before we realised Ryou's eyesight was gone. We'd started to head downstairs, and since Ryou had his hand on my shoulder I didn't think anything of it. 

Of course, we hadn't thought to warn him of the stairs, since we'd figured he could see. He'd stumbled with a shout and I barely managed to catch him in time. 

Finally we got downstairs and got some food into him, and then he and I went back upstairs to shower... 

I was shaken back to the present when Ryou whimpered again. I shook off the cobwebs of my musings and frowned deeper, quickly linking to my other. 

^Yami?^ 

*...Yes Malik?* 

^Bakura's home. Ryou can sense him.^ 

*I know hikari. We are having... a talk.* 

In spite of myself I grinned. ^Get him good for me.^ 

*I did.* 

My yami sounded smug, and I chuckled a little. "Don't worry Ryou, my yami won't let Bakura hurt you. Come on, let's get downstairs." 

As I helped guide him where to put his feet and came within sight of the livingroom, I could feel Bakura's stare boring into my back. As I helped Ryou down the next step his gaze shifted to his hikari. 

~Bakura's POV~ 

As I sat on the couch, seemingly too frozen to move, Yami-Malik gave me a hard look. "We'll have to take him to the hospital you know. I insist." 

I snapped out of my stupor and glared up at him. "No way! How would we explain cause of injury? As you said yourself, young boys don't just suddenly go blind!" 

To my surprise, he met my eyes evenly. "How about 'child abuser'?" he said, his tone only bearing the tiniest bit of mockery. "Bakura, he's lost a lot of blood. He knows, but he doesn't know how serious it is. His arm is still bleeding, and if he doesn't get help soon he could slip into a coma from shock. I could always call Yugi to help me persuade you." 

I stiffened. "_No_." 

"That's what I thought." He paused and cocked his head, his eyes glazing over slightly. I recognised the possition and stayed quiet, letting him converse with his hikari. "They're on their way down." he said after about a minute, his eyes clearing. 

_Like Ryou's eyes never will._ A small, inner voise whispered. To my chagrin it sounded a lot like Yami. 

_Shut up!_ I told it sternly. 

_But Ryou will never see again, and you know it. Because of you Bakura, because of you..._

_Stop it!_ I ordered. 

Something sounded from the stairwell across the room and I looked up, grateful for the distraction. Malik's back appeared, leading my hikari down the stairs, one step at a time. 

Ryou came into view next, and I felt my jaw drop. He looked aweful. I was beginning to suspect Yami-Malik might have been right. Ryou was pale, too pale, almost whiter then his hair, which just isn't right. His left arm and hand were covered in bandages that already showed signs of bleeding through, though I was sure the Ishtars had changed them several times. 

'Since when was Ryou so thin? Or tiny?' I asked myself, though I didn't have the answers. His hair hung limp around his face, and his eyes gazed unseeing around the room. 

_Because of you..._

"Stop it!" I screamed, jumping to my feet and looking wildly around for the sourse of the voise. "Shut up!" 

_Your fault..._

"No it isn't! It _isn't_!!!" 

I could feel the stares of the Ishtars on me, and the surprised mental-tone of Ryou. But I didn't care. Striding toward the door I threw it open and ran out. Maybe the voise was just a ghost in Ryou's house or something, and would go away if I outran it. 

_All your fault..._

()()()()() 

WSJ: ^_^ I think I'll end it there. Nice, tidy little chapter almost longer then the other two. Satisfy your hungers? Hope so, we're getting ready to move so I doubt I'll be able to post the next chapter anytime in the next two weeks, unless I get a huge burst of inspiration and, like, write it tomorrow or something. 

Bakura: *raises his eyebrow* What's with the voice in my head? Am I going insane or what? 

Ryou: And how come you said it sounded like Yami? *tries to walk toward WSJ's voice but ends up bumping into a telephone pole* Dangit! That'll leave a mark! *rubs his nose* 

Bakura: *blinks* WSJ, I didn't know you had any telephone poles in your realm. 

WSJ: *grins* Shhhh!!! ^_~ I didn't until about ten seconds ago. 

Bakura: *sigh* Hey, what'd you and Ryou do with Yami-Malik? 

*Shot of Yami-Malik hogtied and being batted around like a cricket ball by the muses* 

WSJ: Oh... Nothing... 


	4. Bakura's Secret: Brother My Brother

WSJ: *jaw drops* Hotaru-sama!!!! Oh my gosh! Thank you! *grins like an idiot* InuYasha... Sorry to say, never heard of it, but I suppose once you read this you'll give me an earful. *cringes slightly* I don't have a DVD player either (cheapskate parents) but hey, it's the thought that counts! *hands Ryou his plushies* 

Ryou: ^_^ I'll be over next Friday night. So I don't have to help WSJ's family move. 

WSJ: ;_; Kingdom Hearts? PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU!!! I want to play that game soooo bad! *sighs* Ooooh! KaTyA!!!! You're so nice to me! *pulls on T-shirt and begins to scarf candy* ^_^ I love sugar-highs! 

Ryou: *giggles at the SM manga* Mina-chan's so silly! ^_^ 

Bakura: *rubs behind* Ooooowwww..... 

Yami-Malik: *dances around in his new shirt* Hurrah! ^__^ 

WSJ: Squee! Bishie! *glomps Yami-Malik* I love that shirt! So true! 

Yami: *looks questioningly at the box of candy* What's this for? I'm not even in the story yet. 

WSJ: *shrugs* Meh, she must just like you. 

Yami: ^_^ Well I'm not one to argue! *begins to devour candy* 

WSJ: ;_; Asahi... Nothing for me...? 

Bakura: *clutches his flame-thrower and book possesively* It is mine I tell you! My own! It came to me! *begins to pet flame-thrower* Prrrrrreeeessssssssiiiooooouussssssssssssssssssss....... 

Everyone: o_O;; 

WSJ: That's the last time I let him watch Lord of the Rings on wide-screen! 

Ryou: ^_^ *hugs cane* So much for running into telephone poles! *glares at WSJ, although it's technically impossible for him to glare* 

WSJ: ^^;;; Heh heh... This chapter will mostly focus on Bakura, but I may put in a small smidgen of the Ishtars and Ryou at the end, just to see what they're up to. 

()()()()() 

Chapter 4 -- Bakura's Secret: Brother, My Brother 

~Bakura's POV~ 

I ran to the park, without really knowing why, and collapsed onto a bench, trying to catch my breath. "Dang you Jonathan." I hissed through clenched teeth. 

_'Who, me? I thought you'd be happy to hear from me Thomas. Brotherly love and all.'_

I grit my teeth and resisted the erge to punch something. "Don't call me Thomas. That name died when I robbed my first tomb. It's Bakura now and you know it." 

_'Tsk tsk little brother, your temper always was worse then mine.'_

I jumped to me feet looking around through narrowed eyes for the sourse of the voice. "Temper my butt. What do you want? And how can you even talk to me, I locked you in the Shadow Realm!" 

Mentally I could feel him pout. _'Yes, and that wasn't very nice of you either. But when the Pharoah sealed you in the Ring he unwittingly sealed a peice of me in there as well, and so I've stayed connected to you all these years.'_

I groaned. "Great, just what I need... Jonathon, I swear, if you so much as make yourself known to Ryou I'll kill you!" 

_'How? I'm already dead.'_

I swore in frustration, turning the few heads of people nearby who hadn't already been staring at the white-haired freak who was talking to himself. "I'll ask you again," I said evenly, trying to keep my temper down. That would only make him happier. "What do you want?" 

_'I've been watching the way you 'take care' of your hikari. I can't say that I'm pleased. I do believe it is time I took over for you.'_

I rolled my eyes and sneered. "Jonathon, you know that's not possible, much to my thankfulness." 

I felt him chuckle. _'Really? As far as I remember you're only two and a half minutes younger then I, and we're as identical as you and Ryou are. So who says I can't trick the curse and take your place?'_

He began to chant what I knew was a Shadow-Spell and I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, along with a rush of feelings. Now I wouldn't have to worry about that weakling hikari of mine. Jonathon could _have_ him! But why did that thought make my insides knot up? It wasn't like I was going to miss the little twerp. I should be happy to get away from Ryou and the Ring, but I wasn't. I knew Jonathon would be a lot kinder to him then I ever was, but that thought made me mad. 

My last thought before blackness overtook me was very much like the first. 

'Dang you Jonathon...' 

--~Jonathon's POV~-- 

I smiled to myself as the spell I'd released pulled my brother from his body and sent him to the Shadow Realm, allowing me access. I stumbled a little, unused to actually standing on legs. After a moment I regained my balance and began to walk toward the location of Bakura and Ryou's house, which I pulled from my twin's memory. 

I smirked. "Oh, my dear Bakura..." I muttered to myself. "You never told them about me? How rude. Well, I suppose Ryou will be happy to know I'm a lot kinder then you'll ever be." 

_'You stay away from my hikari!'_

I frowned. "Bakura?" 

_'The link works both ways you know. Stay away from Ryou!'_

"Why?" I asked. "Do you actually care about him?" 

There was silence for a moment. _'No.'_

"Then what's your problem?" 

No answer. 

I smiled. Ah well. There never had been much love between us. Born Hebrew slaves he'd been taken into the palace early on while I was stuck slaving away on the pyramids. I heard news of him occationally, because our Egyptian guards were fond of talk, so I knew he'd abandonned his name and life and become a tomb robber, as well as a participant in the deadly Shadow Games. 

The last time I'd seen him (in life) he'd been following the Pharoah toward his palace, seemingly in bondage, a big, burly guard holding on to each of his arms. The Pharoah had glanced causually over my way, then done a double take and turned toward my brother, then back to me. For once I'd really wished I didn't have white hair that stood out against the dark-headed slaves around me. 

The Pharoah had ordered me brought to him, but before either of us could do anything Bakura had muttered a curse and sent me to the Shadow Realm. I still don't really know why. Well, no time like the present, right? 

"So, why _did_ you send me to the Shadow Realm when the Pharoah could have beaten me to a bloody pulp? I thought you'd've liked that." 

_'...I would've. But I had this really weird sense that if Yami got his hands on you I'd be the one paying the price.'_

"Yami? The Pharoah's name?" 

_'Yes.'_

He sunk back into silence and I continued on my way. 'Funny...' I thought to myself. 'I can't sense that hikari of his. Could me switching places with Bakura done more harm then good?' I frowned and quickened my pace marginally. 

--~Yami-Malik's POV~-- 

I glanced over at Malik, an unseen question passing between us. He nodded slightly. I turned to Ryou. 

"Let's get you to the doctor's." 

He nodded and I took his arm to lead him toward the door when suddenly he gasped and clutched at the Ring with his free hand, a look of anguish crossing his face. 

"Ryou, what is it?" Malik asked, hovering at his other side. 

Ryou shook his head, a couple tears of pain slipping from his dulled eyes. "I-it feels like s-something's r-ripping me a-appart!" He dropped to his knees, and Malik and I dropped with him to make sure he didn't tumble completely to the ground. As it was, he almost did, but I caught him in time. 

He looked up at me, his teeth gritted and his eyes, sightless though they were, worry-filled. "Y-Yami-Malik?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper. "I can't feel B-Bakura..." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *chuckling evilly* My my, it seems that Jonathon has unwittingly broken the bond between yami and hikari, ripping poor Ryou's and Bakura's souls in half as he did. 

Bakura: *confused* But I'm just sitting there talking with Jonathon. Shouldn't I be writhing in pain like Ryou? 

WSJ: Well yes and no. You're in the Shadow Realm at the moment, and disembodied to boot. So you can't feel the pain since you don't have anything to feel it with. The reason Jonathon isn't on the ground in pain, since he is occupying Bakura's 'body', is that it isn't his _body_ in pain, it's his soul. 

Oh, and to answer someone else's question, the reason Bakura isn't affected by Ryou's blindness is because when he seperates he copies Ryou's DNA, which dictates how he looks, and not anything else. Blindness isn't in your DNA unless you were born with it. However, if he tried to posses Ryou's body, instead of creating his own seperately, he would be affected. Get it? 

Malik: *scratches head* Sorta... You get it Bakura? ...Bakura? 

Bakura: *is on the ground, twitching* 

Malik & WSJ: *sweatdrop* Er... 


	5. Bakura's Hikari: Ryou's in More Danger T...

WSJ: *sweatdrop* Some Vulcan I'd be... Bronze Eagle was kind enough to point out a huge hole in my "logical reasoning". I'm not even sure how to fix it... Um... Can we ignore it? 

Ryou: Probably not. 

WSJ: -.-; Let's ignore it anyway... *perks up* PRESENTS! *dives on the huge mound of boxes and begins to sort through them* Let's see... O.o; Better be on your guard Bakura, seems to me that everyone's out to get you... But here. 

Bakura: *gets an evil-psycotic gleam in his eye* Mwaha! Thanks for the flaming bow and arrows Baby Winter! They'll go great with my flame-thrower... But I could've done nicely without the whack... 

WSJ: *jumps in* Or the kiss! Bakura's mine! Ryou too! You can have Jonathon! ^_^ 

Ryou: *sighs* Give it up WSJ... Now you're just going to start up the ages old 'fangirl wars'... 

Bakura: *snickers and dials his new cell phone. Zoom in so we see that the phone has a tag on it that says "From KaTyA"* 

Mr Cell Phone: Ring Ring! 

Yami-Malik: *stops fiddling with his Chibi-fying spray (from Baby Winter) and box of candy (from KaTyA) and answers his cell* Hullo? 

Bakura: Hey Y-Malik, have you had a chance to open your other present from Baby Winter yet? 

Yami-Malik: Er... No, why? 

Bakura: Yes! *runs in and grabs the wrapped up pole away from Yami-Malik* Now you can't whack me! ^_^ 

Yami-Malik: *starts to chase him around* BAKURA!!!!!! *accidentally squeezes the trigger on the Chibi-fying spray* Oops... 

WSJ: *looks up from polishing her awards in a giant nest of plushies* Oops what? 

Yami-Malik: *nervously points at the now-chibi Yami-Yugi and also-chibi Bakura. Yami is chasing Bakura around with the club he got from Baby Winter and yelling at the top of his squeaky little voice* 

WSJ: O.o; Odd... 

Chibi-Bakura: *dives into WSJ's pile of plushies, where he somehow finds Ryou and glomps him* Rwou! Yami bein' mean t' me! 

Ryou: *drops the book from Baby Winner and manga from the gift certificate from KaTyA (^_^ Heh heh... Ranma and Oh My Goddess...) he'd been reading* Ack! Bakura? 

WSJ: *shrugs* Dun look at me! It's Yami-Malik's fault! He managed to nail both Yami and Bakura with his spray. *sweatdrop* We'd better get on to the story before my readers kill me... 

Malik: *fiddling with the Yami-Repellant from Baby Winter* What readers? 

WSJ: *sweatdrop* Malik... That's mean... 

Yugi: *wanders over* Since when is he nice? Hey! Yami keeps getting stuff, but I don't have anything! 

Chibi-Yami: *shuffles over and hugs Yugi around the legs, a plushie almost as big as he is dangling from one hand* You's can hafe my Dark-Magissin pwussie... 

Yugi: *sweatdrop, looks down at his chibi-dark* I don't want to know, do I? 

WSJ: Nope. *eyes light up as she spies one of the last presents in the stack* Hotaru-sama!!!!! OMG! Can I have copies of those pictures? *snickers* Amish Bakura... *hugs the DVD player and PS2* ;_; This is the best present I've ever gotten!!! Well... Except for my trophies, and my plushies, and my Chibi-fying spray... *wanders away to play Kingdom Hearts, still babbling* 

Yami-Malik: *looks around* Er... She doesn't own YGO, but Jonathon is hers... 

Notes: Sorry I didn't mention all the presents. ^_^ There were too many! Thank you so much everyone! I'm glad you really like this story, and I'll try to live up to your expectations. Oooh, and Bronze Eagle? I've come up with an explenation now. The best way I can explain it is that in the Shadow Realm _everything_ sort of goes numb and you can't feel anything at all. Which doesn't work very well either, but it fits better then the last one. 

Also, **attention to Baby Winter, KaTyA and HotaruMaxwell** I need you guys to e-mail me, 'kay? I have something special I need to ask/give you. ^_^ 

()()()()() 

Chapter 5 - Bakura's Hikari: Ryou in Danger! 

~Yami-Malik's POV~ 

My jaw went slack. It did! The only way that a hikari and yami wouldn't be able to feel one another was if one or the other of them was dead or dying. I didn't want to think about what this meant for Ryou. 

In my arms he was beginning to tremble violently, and his eyes were closed tightly in pain. I swore softly and lifted him onto the couch, rubbing my hands over his face and neck. "Come on Ryou, stay with me! Keep your eyes open k'so!" I felt Malik's hand on my shoulder and I half-turned to look at him. 

"I'm calling Yugi." he said quietly. He was stating the fact, not asking my permission, but even so I opened my mouth to protest. Under my hands Ryou gave a particularly hard shudder and I snapped my jaw shut and nodded, heaving a sigh. 

"Alright. Go ahead. But make it quick!" 

Malik nodded and headed for the kitchen to get the cordless phone, while I continued to try and keep Ryou awake. Falling asleep now could prove disasterous for him. 

--~Yugi's POV~-- 

Granpa was out running some errands, and the shop had already closed for the evening, so Yami and I were just sitting around the livingroom. I was trying my best to wade my way through my algebra homework, and Yami was pouring over an ancient scroll he'd found in some obscure corner of his soulroom. 

"Hey Yami," I asked, chewing on the end of my pencil. "If x=17 and y=-22, then what does (y+x)2y-(-36+6x)/2+y equal?" 

He looked up at me, a slightly amused, slightly amazed look on his face. "You're asking me? I had to use an abacus to count anywhere above ten." 

I chuckled. "And you could only count to ten on your fingers, right?" 

He opened his mouth to answer, then shivered and hunched over the coffee table we were sitting at. "Yami, what is it?" I asked, leaning over to make sure he was all right. 

"I-I felt a disturbance in the Shadow Realm. Something's happening." 

My eyes widened in terror. "Do you think it's Bakura? Ryou was acting really strangely at school today." 

"I do not know aibou. But I can feel that someone has cast a Shadow Spell." 

The both of us nearly jumped out of our skins as the phone rang. We sat staring at each other, trying to get our breathing back down to a normal level, before I rose to answer it. "Turtle Game Shop, this is Yugi Moto speaking." 

The voice on the other line was high-pitched and sounded a little frantic, so it took me a moment to place it as it began to babble about Ryou and yamis. "Whoa, whoa, slow down Malik, now tell me what's wrong." 

Apparently Yami had senced my distress, because there was a click as he picked up the upstairs extention. "Tell _us_ what is wrong." //It must be pretty bad if he is calling us.// he added mentally. 

I agreed as Malik began to try to explain the day's events. He got no farther then finding Ryou in such poor condition, however, before my yami interrupted. "We will be there as soon as we can." 

"There's more..." he said, rather weakly. 

"We'll figure it out when we get there." I said, and Yami and I hung up. We met at the foot of the stairs on our way to the front door. 

"Do you think this has any connection to the Shadow Spell you felt earlier?" I asked. 

He frowned. "I'm afraid it does. I can sence a lot of negative energies spiraling around Ryou's house, like buzzards waiting to swoop in as soon as their prey is dead. I am very afraid for Ryou right now, as well as Bakura." 

I gasped as we sprinted down the street in the direction of my friend's house. "You mean they're in real danger?" 

Yami's frown deepened. "Yes." he said, half to himself and half to me. "It's getting far too near the time of the Locking Rituals..." 

"The what?" 

Yami blinked, as if suddenly remembering I was there. "The Locking Rituals. Once every 2,000 years the Shadow Realm choses a pure heart to be sacrificed to it in exchange for staying out of the affairs of this realm. And if the spell I felt is what I think it was, then Ryou's in a lot of trouble." 

I staggered and almost fell as the realization of what Yami was saying hit me. "You mean the Shadow Realm wants Ryou!?! But why? How?" 

"The spell I felt was a Switching Spell, for lack of a better translation. I have most of my memories from my days as Pharoah back, and I remember that Bakura had, or rather, has, a brother. Bakura locked him in the Shadow Realm. I think the spell was Jonathon switching places with Bakura, which leaves Bakura in the Shadow Realm, Jonathon as the Spirit of the Ring, and Ryou very, very vulnerable, because that would break the link between yami and hikari." 

I yelped in dismay and increased the speed of my sprint without even realising it. 

"Ryou!" 

~Ryou's POV~ 

The pain was too great for me to handle. It was a thousand times worse then any beating Bakura had ever given me. It ate through my heart and seemed to be burning my very soul. I felt strong arms lift me onto something soft, the couch? as my vision began to blur. 

I got a vague sence that someone was rubbing my arms, neck and chest, trying to keep the circulation going, all the while muttering at me to stay awake. 

I can't... It's just too much... I try to reach out to Bakura. He's always there, even if he hates me for it. But I only run up against a blank wall. No link. No mental ranting. No Bakura. 

I feel myself beginning to dim, and I know I'm losing conciousness. I welcome it, hoping it will bring releif from my pain. But it does not. In fact, it only intensifies. 

I scream, locked in the confines of my own head as the agony washes over me in waves. I can feel the darkness creeping closer, waiting to take me. Take me where? For what? I do not know, and I'd rather not care to find out. 

But it seems I really don't have much of a choice. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *giggles insanely* The plot thickens! Or, as I love to say about really cheesy soap operas, the plot sickens! *snickers* So, it isn't just being torn from Bakura that's making Ryou so sick and weak, it's the dark forces closing in... *grins* Oh, and in case you're wondering, Yami and Yugi don't know Ryou's blind yet. They just know he was really severely beaten up. 

Yugi: *looks up from cuddling still-chibi Yami* He's blind? 

Ryou: *rolls eyes* Hel_lo_! What have you been doing for the past half hour while WSJ's been writing this? 

Yugi: Er... *sweatdrops, tries to hide a magazine behind his back* 

Chibi-Bakura: *grabs it, shreiks* 'SJ! Nakie ladies! 

WSJ: O_O;; Gimme that! *grabs it and flips through* OMG!!! Tea! Mai!! Dark Magician Girl? Ooooo! Now you've gone _too_ far!!! *tosses the magizine in an incineratior and begins to chase Yugi around with a mallet* 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* That's what you get for looking at porno pictures of her favorite Duel Monster... 

Joey: *nervously, whispers* At least she didn't see the end... There were pictures of her in there too... 

Ryou, Chibi-Bakura and Chibi-Yami: O.o;; 

WSJ: I HEARD THAT!!!!!! 

Joey: Eep! *runs away* 

Chapter 6: The darkness pulls Ryou farther and farther from his physical self, into the Shadow Realm. Yami and Yami-Malik, desperate, deside to go after him, but are delayed when Jonathon arrives. A chase across Domino City ensues, leaving Malik and Yugi to watch their friend as he slips farther from their grasp. (Joey finally gets an appearance!) 

God bless minna-san! 


	6. Bakura's Imposter: Demonic Attack!

WSJ: *squeals happily* New episodes yesterday morning! NEW EPISODES YESTERDAY MORNING!!! I almost sympathize with Pegasus now... 

Bakura (now un-chibified, thanks to Baby Winter's spray): *chokes* What!?!?! Why?!?!? 

WSJ: *patiently* You should know me by now Bakura. I'm a hopeless romantic. I live for sappy love stories, whether they end for good or ill. ;_; Poor Pegasus... Although I don't see how creating Duel Monsters would help him see Cecilia again... 

Ryou: *sweatdrops* Er, yes... 

WSJ: *goes starry-eyed* The Black Magician of Chaos was soooooo awesome! *squeals again* I _definately_ love Magician-type monsters best! Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and the Black Chaos Magician... *sighs happily* Those and the Change of Heart are my favorite cards ever... 

Ryou: -.- Right, only cause it's my fav too... 

WSJ: *looks slightly offended* Nuh-uh! I love angels! Plus, you just looked so cute as Change of Heart! *^_^* 

Bakura and Ryou: -.-;; *sigh* 

WSJ: ^__^ Thanks for the presents everyone! *mutters* But Ryou's still mine... 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* ^.^ Sugar! Candy! Thankie much Baby Winter!!! And Yami-Emmy? Thanks for the money! *gets all shifty-eyed* Yeah, I'll use it for surgery... *giggles and grows imp-horns* 

Bakura: *backs up a step* Buh! We shouldn't have let him have the sugar!!! 

Kaiba suddenly runs through, screaming like a girl. Yami-Malik is right behind him with a flame-thrower, laughing evilly. 

Kaiba: MY TRENCH COAT'S ON FIRE!!!!!! IT'S ON FIRE!!!!!!! PUT IT OUT! FOR THE LOVE OF KURIBOH, _PUT IT OUT_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Bakura: Kaiba-torture? *perks up* Looks like fun! *grabs bazooka from Baby Winter and runs after Yami-Malik* Save some for me Yami-Malik! 

WSJ and Ryou: -_-;; 

Malik sidles up, trying to look completely innocent. 

Malik: Hi 'SJ. 

WSJ: *looks at him suspiciously* What did you do? 

In the background Kaiba suddenly erupts into a collumn of flame, then falls over in typical super-charred anime fasion. Yami-Malik and Bakura screech to a halt and start to cheer. 

Malik: *super-innocently* Just making use of a present. *cheesy grin* 

WSJ and Ryou: *in unison* Land mines... -_-; 

Yugi walks in with his nose stuck in a magazine. There's a Celtic Guardian plushie and a poster of an un-nakie Dark Magician Girl hanging from one arm, a Witty Phantom plushie from the other, and two Dark Magician plushies (his and Yami's) on his head. 

WSJ: *sees the magazine* o_O Playboy? Does your yami know what you're reading young man? 

Yugi: *shifty-eyed* Yeah... Of course... 

Ryou: *ignores Yugi's recent obsession* Where _is_ Yami? 

Yugi: At the Game Shop. He's juicing up his deck so he can whoop Kaiba into next week. 

WSJ: *gestures to where Kaiba is still extra-crispy and now hog-tied with toilet paper. Yami-Malik, Malik and Bakura have stripped down to their boxers, put on hula skirts and tye-dyed baseball caps and are dancing around him like a tribe of indians at a sacrifice* Well, I think he's pretty much whooped... 

Ryou: *eyes his yami and the Ishtars as he sucks on a candy cane* Maybe giving them part of your candy stash wasn't such a good idea... 

WSJ: *dryly* Ya' think? *sighs* I don't own YGO. 

()()()()() 

~Yami's POV~ 

We arrived at Ryou's house and didn't even bother to knock, we just opened the door since it was unlocked and ran right in. Ryou was on the couch, absolutely motionless, which I didn't take as a good sign. 

As soon as Yugi and I walked in, Malik stopped pacing a ran over, a breif look of releif sliding across his face. Yami-Malik looked up from where he was trying to massage some life back into Ryou. 

Yugi let out a strangled cry and ran over to Ryou, dropping to his knees beside the boy on the couch. Yami-Malik stood up, and he and his hikari drew me over to a corner. 

"He's not in good shape." Yami-Malik said, low enough so my aibou wouldn't hear. Quickly he and Malik outlined the day thus far. 

I frowned. "He can't feel Bakura? As in their mental link?" 

The two nodded. "I think that's what he meant." Malik said. 

Silently I cursed. I turned to Yami-Malik and gave him a look. After a moment of deliberation he motioned for Malik to leave the two of us alone. Uneasily he went to kneel beside Yugi. 

"What's on your mind?" Yami-Malik asked. 

"I know the two of us aren't exactly best of friends, but I'm going to need your help." I said. He looked surprised, but nodded. "I think that the reason Ryou and Bakura's link was cut off is because Bakura is no longer Spirit of the Ring. In Egypt Bakura had a brother, whom he sealed in the Shadow Realm. I felt a Spell earlier that I think must have been Jonathon switching places with Bakura. And that isn't all. I'm afraid Ryou's been chosen by the Shadow Realm for-" 

Yami-Malik went pale. "The Locking Rituals. I remember. 'In every two thousand years time the Shadow Realm doth have need of a pure heart. It will chose a heart to be sacrificed, and pull it to itself, then devour it.'" he quoted the ancient texts, paraphrasing here and there. 

I nodded and sighed heavily. "Yes. If we don't get to Ryou soon he'll simply stay in a coma and get weaker and weaker until he dies." 

Yami-Malik's face hardened. "We'll have to go after him then. Into the Shadow Realm." 

I nodded. "Just what I was thinking." 

The two of us turned and started towards our hikaris. Malik was apparently explaining what had happened to Yugi, who was crying a little. I kneeled down behind him and wrapped my arms around him, and he leaned back into my embrace, taking a little comfort from my presence. 

"W-we'd always suspected that Bakura beat him, we've known for a long time. We just never thought..." 

"How bad it would be." Malik agreed. 

Before anything else could be said, the door was suddenly opened so hard it slammed against the wall behind it, leaving a dent where the doorknob had been. We jerked around to see Bakura leaning against the doorway and panting, his eyes scanning the room. 

Wait... His eyes... 

I growled and in two strides I was across the room. I picked "Bakura" up by the collar and slammed his back into the wall next to the door. "I was right! You _are_ Jonathon! Bakura doesn't have green eyes!" 

Jonathon's eyes darted around, his mouth forming a little O of worry. "Y-yes, I am J-Jonathon. What's it to you?" 

"Do you know what you have done?" Yami-Malik asked, coming up behind me. His voice was dripping with scorn and Jonathon flinched. I saw his eyes dart over my shoulder, and he gasped when he saw Ryou. 

"B-But..." 

I let my eyes narrow. Just then, when he'd looked at Ryou... 

Yami-Malik had seen it too. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice deadly and low. 

"W-What do you mean?" 

"I saw approval in your eyes when you saw Ryou in such horrible condition." I growled. "_Who. Are. You_?" 

He abandonned all maskerade then, and a smirk widened on his face. "Who, me? Just your friendly neighborhood demon." 

His eyes flashed red, and I felt something gripping my hands, forcing me to let go of his collar. It then picked me up (the yelp to my left indicated it had gotten Yami-Malik too) and threw me across the room to slam into the opposite wall. The force then held me pressed against it spread-eagled, like a fly on a winsheild. Yami-Malik grunted as he "landed" next to me. 

/Yami!/ 

The mental shout sent my eyes darting to the couch. Malik and Yugi crouched behind it, for the moment hidden from the demon. Yugi looked absolutely terrified, and his eyes pleaded with me to do something. //Stay where you are aibou, try to keep yourself unseen.// 

/Are you all right Yami?/ 

I gulped as I saw the grinning demon, his eyes still glowing a gastly red, coming toward us. //For the moment. Stay hidden. If you get a chance, you and Malik run for it.// 

I could sence Yugi's indesition. Finally he said /All right Yami./ 

~Malik's POV~ 

I watched in horror as Bakura used some sort of energy feild to pin Yami and Yami Yugi to the wall. (Remember, he refers to his own yami as simply 'Yami' and all others by their full names.) 

_'What does he want with them?'_ I thought desperately. I grabbed Yugi by the arm and pulled him behind the couch with me Bakura stalked past. Yugi had spaced out and I could tell he was having a mental conversation with his yami. I tried to contact my own, but he brushed me off, consentrating instead on the demon approaching him. 

"What is it?" Yugi whispered fearfully from my side. 

"I'm not sure. I think it's a demon." I said 

"Then where's Bakura?" 

"Remember what Yami Yugi said? He must be in the Shadow Realm. The demon probably posed as Jonathon just to get ahold of Bakura's body." 

Yugi whimpered. "Would he do that to our yamis?" 

I bit down on my tounge, a flutter of panic welling up in my chest. "You just _had_ to suggest that, didn't you?" 

"Well sor-rey." 

I shushed him and pointed at the demon. He seemed to have suddenly forgotten our yamis and was staring at Ryou. He took a step in our direction, and Yugi and I tried to make ourselves smaller behind the couch. 

Suddenly the demon's head snapped around and he stared out the door, his look turning to one of intense hatred. In two seconds flat he was across the room and out the door. 

The energy feild weakened and our yamis dropped to the floor. Yami fell to his knees while Yami Yugi was able to remain upright, but just barely. Yugi and I exchanged startled looks, and then ran over to them. 

"So powerful..." Yami wheezed as I helped him to his feet. 

"I had no idea the Shadow Realm had gotten so strong." Yami Yugi agreed, leaning slightly on Yugi for support. "Where did it go?" 

Yugi and I shrugged. "It just left." I said. "It got this real horrible look on its face and then it ran out the door." 

Yami and Yami Yugi looked at each other. "Not good..." Yami Yugi said slowly. "We have to find it before it does any more damage." 

"You can't!" I protested. "It was ready to kill you! It's too strong." 

The two yamis looked at me and Yami put a hand on my shoulder. "Malik, you keep forgetting we have powers too. It just surprised us enough that we didn't have time to use them. Don't worry about us." 

"Stay with Ryou." Yami Yugi added. "We have to find a way to help him somehow." 

Yugi and I nodded mutely, watching as Yami and Yami Yugi sprinted out the door. 

^Good luck and be careful.^ 

*Thank you. I will.* 

Yugi and I returned to Ryou's side and stared fretfully at him. I wasn't any judge, but he seemed to be getting worse. There were dark patches around his eyes that I couldn't remember seeing there even just a few minutes before. And if you stared hard enough at him it was like there were shadows darting around inside of him, just under his skin. A purple mist seemed to be hovering around him as well. 

I exchanged a helpless look with Yugi, who looked almost as if he was about to cry. "What can we do?" he asked in a trembling voice, taking one of Ryou's pale, lifeless hands in his. 

I sighed and took the other. "I don't know Yugi. Nothing much except wait." 

There was the sound of a footstep from the front door, which our yamis had left open in their haste to find the demon, and we had neglected to close. We whirled around to see a familiar blond head poking around the door frame. 

"Hey Yug'," he said, taking a step inside. "I was passin' by and saw Bakura run out'a here like a bat out'a hell, and then Yami and Yami-Malik came out after 'im." he blinked. "What're you doin' here Malik? And for that matter, what're you doin' here Yug'? It's almost eight at night." 

Yugi and I just stood there with our mouths open, amazed that Joey was being so... so... normal. It didn't seem quite real after what had just happened. 

Apparently, Joey didn't notice our stunned silence because he was staring at Ryou's prone form. "Holy crap..." 

~Bakura's POV~ 

Believe me on this, wandering around in the Shadow Realm is _not_ fun. Being a yami and not actually alive, I felt no drain from the negative energies. What I did feel however, was bordum. The Shadow Realm is all dark, shadowy coridors and not much else. 

I'd been walking aimlessly for about an hour when up ahead the darkness was broken by something small and white. Curious, I headed for it. A few yards away I broke into a run. 

It was Ryou. 

He was barely breathing. 

He looked horrible. 

Shadows writhed beneath his skin, giving it a slick, slimey look. More hovered around him, waiting to devour him. A purple mist surrounded him, but I pushed my way through and went down on my knees beside him. Several of the shadow-things leaped at me, tearing at my flesh and hair. One of them cut a gash across my cheek, but I grit my teeth and ignored it. Just because I'm a yami doesn't mean I can't feel pain. 

Without thinking I grabbed the Millinium Ring from around his neck and threw it around my own. It began to glow and activated a golden-colored bubble that hovered about ten feet away from us on all sides. The shadow-things squealed unhappily and fled, including the ones apparently inside Ryou. I breathed a sigh of releif as his skin cleared. The sheild would protect Ryou from the effects of the Shadow Realm. 

In a few minutes his color began to return and his eyes fluttered open. I stayed where I was, absolutely quiet. In his blindness he didn't yet know I was there. He sat up and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face in them. 

"Ryou..." 

He jumped as I spoke his name and swung his head wildly this way and that, dispite that he couldn't possibly see anything. Evidentially he then recognised my voice and relaxed somewhat. "B-Bakura? I couldn't feel you." 

It took me a moment to understand what he meant. Then it hit me. I was sitting right beside him, and I couldn't sence our mental link. {Ryou...?} I tried cautiosly. Nothing. A blank wall. 

"Where are we?" he asked. 

"The Shadow Realm." I said. "At the moment the Ring is protecting you from it." If he noticed that I left out myself, he didn't give any indication. I swallowed and went on. "This Realm wants you Ryou. It wants you bad, and I don't know why." 

()()()()() 

Bakura: *idly pelting WSJ with fish sticks* 

WSJ: *looses her temper* CUT IT OUT! What happened to torturing Kaiba? 

Bakura: ;_; He got away! Mokuba got him out! 

WSJ: -.- Ok... So what about the Ishtars? 

Bakura: *eyes light up* I think they went to Weapons R Us! I'll go too! *runs off* 

WSJ: *sighs* Hey Yugi? 

Yugi: Hm? 

WSJ: Why are you reading "Pegasus Today" magazine? 

Yugi: 0_0 Er... Um... 

WSJ: *exchanges a look with Ryou* Never mind. I dun' wanna know... So, how'd you like this chap? It was a lot longer then the others, but only took me about an hour and a half to write! ^_^ 

Chapter 7: Yami-Malik and Yami continue to chase Demon-Bakura across the city, gaining an unlikely ally as they go. Malik and Yugi attempt to explain everything to Joey, who is majorly freaked out. Ryou and Bakura are trapped in the Shadow Realm, and the protective power of the Ring seems to be weakening... Until two someones help them out... Two someones everyone but Bakura thought were dead... 

God bless minna-san! 


	7. Bakura's Pain: Death by Falling

WSJ: *whines and hops around on one foot* I wanna see "Evil Spirit of the Ring"!!!!! 

Ryou: *sweatdrops* What? 

WSJ: They showed the Panik episode last week. *cries* And the day before they _didn't_ show "Evil Spirit of the Ring"! It's no faaaaiiiiiiirr!!!! That's almost the only episode I _haven't_ seen! (The very first one I ever saw was the second half of the Paradox Brothers duel, which left me very confused and very intrested) Well, that and "Duel with a Ghoul", which I'm also dying to see... *pouts* 

Bakura: *sighs* 

WSJ: ^_^ Anyway! By my calculations this story is about half over, maybe two-thirds over. It'll probably run about twelve to fourteen chapters or so. I plan to have it done by Thanksgiving, probably much earlier then that, so I can devout all my time to a holiday humor fic I'm working on with KaTyA, HotaruMaxwell, and Baby Winter, _Pine Cones and Holly Are Not Good to Eat_. Once I'm done with that I'll need a bit of your help. I have several stories in the works, and I want you guys to tell me which one to do after PCHANGE. 

1) _Sacrifice of Shadows_ -- Sequel to _Visions of the Heart_. I can't give you a summery yet, obviously, because that would ruin the ending of VotH. But I'll give you a teaser in the last chapter. 

2) _In the Public Eye_ -- Malik/Tea, alternate universe. Malik's a teen idol/pop star, and Tea's a world-renown dancer. Socioty forses them together, and they find they begin to have feelings for one another. There's only one problem. Tea's engaged... To the in-high-demand actor, Yugi Moto. 

3) _If I Could Kill Jounouchi_ -- I've already started this, but I need to finish it. Basicly, Seto, Malik and Joey dress as girls so they can go to the all-girls college that Isis, Mai and Tea go to. Tea/Malik, Mai/Joey, Isis/Seto. 

4) _Camelot_ -- Another one that I've started, but haven't had time to finish. Sequel to _A Yami of My Own_. Ryou gets kidnapped and taken to England, Bakura's "dead", and it's up to Yugi, Malik and Joey to save our favorite white-haired bishie. 

5) _Oops, Wrong Dimention..._ -- The Ring, Rod and Puzzle are stolen, leaving Malik, Yugi and Ryou stranded together, cut off from their yamis, each with a major physical disability. Ryou's gone blind (*giggles* Again...), Malik can't hear and Yugi has no use of his legs. Oh, and did I mention they're in a completly wrong world with only a familiar little blue Digimon to help them out? 

6) _Lord of the... Um... Rings?_ -- LotR/YGO X-over. Basicly, Sauron gets bored, hooks up with Pegasus, and they switch Ryou and Frodo into each other's places. ^_^ *squeals* Yami-Frodo... *drools* 

WSJ: So, which should I do? ^_^ Personally, I can't wait to get started with _Sacrifice of Shadows_. I'll write them all eventually, it's all just a matter of when and in what order. 

Ryou: Jeez... Talking much, yes? 

WSJ: Well, I just wanted to give everyone a breifing on what I'm planning on doing... ^_^v Thanks for the presents! I'm not gonna take the time to list them out anymore, because I'm getting too many and it's taking away from the actual story, and I've begun to write the chapters in advance. I just wanna thank you all for your support and I'm happy you're being so patient with me! And since KaTyA and Baby Winter are being such dolls, allow me to advertise for them! *clears throat* **Go read their fics!** *grins* I love doing **the voice**... 

Bakura: Ahem? 

WSJ: *checks reviews and blushes* I thank you for thinking you had to defend me from Bandit Keith's sis, but really, it's all right! Flamers are flamers, and in my experience, they're usually not worth mentioning or correcting. *shrugs helplessly* *oogles* Brood?!? I'm honored that you reviewed! I've been a big fan of your fics for a long time! 

Ryou: *coughs* Onee-chan... 

WSJ: *blinks* Oh yeah... Sorry onii-san! ^_^ On to the story! ^_~ I still don't own YGO, but Jonathon and Kuroi Karasu (the demon posing as Jonathon) are mine. 

((October 30 -- Wow, hard to believe I finished this almost two weeks ago, and my computer's just now coming back online for me to post it. I'm really sorry for the long delay, but we've been trying to move. Good news, however! I've begun to write the chapters in advance, and I'm at the moment in the middle of chapter twelve. I have most of the plot for the sequel worked out too, I just need to start on it. ^_^ Hope you enjoy! *grins* And even better! "Evil Spirit of the Ring" is on tomorrow, in honor of Halloween!!! *whoops happily* I'm going to be out of it all day... I've been waiting to see that episode _forever_...)) 

()()()()() 

Chapter 7 -- Bakura's Pain: Death by Falling 

~Bakura's POV~ 

I hated to admit it, even to myself, but I was beginning to get a little worried. Ryou was becoming more and more sullen by the minute. Or was it hours? Days? It was hard to keep track of time in the Shadow Realm. 

Even with the Ring's sphere of protection, the shadows were beginning to creep closer to Ryou. The purple mist was beginning to play over his skin again. He sat silent, his knees pulled up to his chest and his faded eyes half-lidded. 

I growled and cursed at myself. Why should I care whether or not the Shadow Realm took him? He was pathetic, weak. If he couldn't hold off the shadows himself then he deserved his fate. 

But a small corner of my heart, or whatever was left of it, was telling me I was wrong. It was saying I needed Ryou to even be out of the Ring, which was something that was true that I hated even more to admit. 

The Ring's power was beginning to wane. The Shadow Realm was steadily draining it of its magical properties. 

Again I asked myself, why would I care? And the answer came to me. He was my hikari. I _had_ to care. I pushed the answer away and refused to believe it as the Ring's golden sphere of protection faded and died. 

Ryou slumped to the side immediately, and I suddenly had to fight the erge to catch him as he fell to the stone floor. The shadows swarmed over him and I somehow found myself in their midst, trying to fight them off. One of them tore at the strap around my neck and sent the Ring clattering to the floor. I swore but kept fending the things off of Ryou. 

I lost track of time, swatting shadow-things right and left. Sweat and blood ran down my face and mixxed into one big foul mess. I was sure my hair looked gastly. 

Ah yes, that idiotic hair... That was the reason for the very first beating I ever gave poor little Ryou. That stupid, _stupid_ hair! It was far beyond me how any person could have white hair and yet not be albino. 

I battled on, ignoring the pain in my body and the dull throb that called out for me to give up. But I did not. I could not. 

What seemed like hours later I became aware of a soft glow, much like that the Ring had given off when it activated. It was a long way away, but seemed to be coming closer. I swiped at the bangs hanging in my eyes and took a chance. I knew it could be a demon that wandered the halls of the Shadow Realm, or a lost or stolen soul. But it the back of my mind I knew who it was. 

"A little help here?" I called. 

The golden sphere stopped for a moment, and then began to come towards us at a much faster pace. I sighed as the sphere washed over me, sending the shadows packing. I dropped to my knees in exhaustion and glanced over at Ryou. He looked all right, but I didn't think he'd be waking up anytime soon. 

"Bakura?" 

Feebly I looked up into the face I knew would be there. That's why it surprised me that there were two, though it shouldn't have. I groaned and swayed slightly. Putting a hand to my head, I was only mildly intrested when it came away bloody. 

"M-Make sure they d-don't get to R-Ryou..." I said before passing out. The last things I saw were my brother's concerned face as he caught me and the look of one-eyed amazement Pegasus was giving me. 

(Nyah! How many guessed it was gonna be Pegasus and Jonathon (the _real_ Jonathon)? ^_^ Everything will be explained next chapter, so just hold on. Ok, on to our little demon-chase...) 

~Yami-Malik's POV~ 

I skidded around a corner, Yami Yugi close behind me. Up ahead I heard a crash and sped up as best I could. "Any idea where he's going?" I panted. 

Yami shook his sweaty bangs out of his eyes and nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Look up ahead." 

I did and swore furvently. "Not good!" 

He gave me a look. "Ya think?" 

The two of us tried to pick up the pace as the massive buildings of Kaiba Corp loomed above us. 

~Kaiba'a POV~ 

There was a desperate knock, almost a pounding, on my door and I didn't even glance up from the contract I was reading. In hind-sight I really should have. "Come in." 

The door burst open and this time I really did look up, my eyes narrowing in suspisioun. There stood Yami and Yami-Malik, both sweaty and panting. I rose half-way out of my seat. "What do you think you're-" 

"Kaiba! Watch out!" 

Yami didn't have a chance to get any farther as the window behind me shattered into a million peices. I was suddenly very thankful for all the terrorist drills we'd had and dived behind my desk, Yami and Yami-Malik joining me a second later. 

"What is it? A helecopter?" I asked, crouched down beside the two darks. "We're ten stories up!" I had a gun in the left-hand drawer of my desk, but I doubted I could get to it before I was shot. 

Yami gulped and it didn't do me any good to see fear in his eyes. "I'm afraid that isn't really an issue with him..." 

I stared at him in disbelief. "What?" I peeked up over the top of the desk and almost wished I hadn't. Outside my shattered wall-long window floated a huminoid shape, outlined and glowing a brillient red-scarlet color. His eyes glowed with the same gastly shade as he smirked triumphantly at me. 

I ducked back and stared in amazement at Yami. "Bakura?" 

He shook his head, a scowl settling onto his face. "No, a demon that took advantage of Ryou's weakened state and banished Bakura to the Shadow Realm." 

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "What's wrong with Ryou?" 

"Too long of a story." Yami-Malik growled from my other side. 

"Ok then, we'll try this. What does it want?" 

"Unfortunatly," Yami said. "We don't know that either." 

It was that moment the demon chose to speak. "Oh Seto Kaiba, come out come out wherever you are! I've got a bone to pick with you!" 

I made no move to answer, but suddenly I was hovering three feet above the two yamis, who were staring at me in shock. I gaped back, and then my head was forced around to look at the demon. He smirked and floated closer, taking my chin in his hand. This close I could see the utter hatred in his eyes, and tried to flinch back, but found I couldn't. "What do you want with me?" 

"Revenge. This will teach you for locking me in the Shadow Realm all those years ago!" 

"But I never-" 

_Flowing purple robes... _

A golden rod in my hands... 

Sentencing a Perssian prisinor of war to death by Shadow Realm... 

A promise to come back and kill me... 

I let out a small, strangled cry as the thoughts, no, memories? came back to me in a small tidal wave. "Kuroi Karasu!" I managed to gasp around the choke hold he'd tightened around my neck. 

He sneered and moved his face closer to mine. "That's right preist! And now I can finally fulfill my promise!" With that he turned and flung me back, right out the newly-broken window. 

"Kaiba!" 

I heard Yami's and Yami-Malik's shouts as I dropped away from the building, and Kuroi's demonic *coughBADcough* laughter rang in my ears. I closed my eyes as one thought trailed lazily through my surprisingly calm mind. 

_'I'm sorry Mokuba...'_

(Yeah, I know that has absolutely _nothing_ to do with what he was just thinking about, but don't you think that if he knew he was going to die his mind would instantly jump to Mokuba?) 

~Yugi's POV~ 

Joey gaped at us as Malik and I finished up with the explanations. "No way!" he said, his eyes wide and his face a little paler then normal. He looked over at Ryou and a pained expression came across his face. "What are we gonna do?" 

Malik and I looked at each other, and then back at him. "We don't know..." I said, mournfully. "If our yamis were here, they might be able to help. But they're out chasing that demon thing..." 

Joey swung around to look at us. "What? So you're jus' gonna give up on 'im? Com'on! I know ya' better then that Yug'! We gotta help 'im... Somehow..." 

We sat silent, simply watching as Ryou's skin seemed to get darker and darker. Was there really something we might be able to do, like Joey said? 

//Kaiba!// 

I jerked and looked at Malik. Apparently, he'd gotten the same yell from his own other. 

"What?" Joey asked, looking a little paniked. He could tell when something was wrong. "What happened?" 

I swallowed hard as a tear slid down my face. Joey's jaw dropped a fraction of an inch, and then he put an arm around me. "Oh Yug'..." he breathed. 

I took a deep breath and hiccoughed, trying to keep my tears in. "Not Yami. Kaiba." 

Joey looked at me in shock. "Kaiba?" 

Malik nodded mournfully, and I was surprised to see a tear slide down his cheek as well. It seemed to me he was holding the Millenium Rod a little tighter, and I suddenly remembered Yami telling me that its original owner had been Kaiba. Or rather, Kaiba's preincarnation. 

"Yes," Malik said, his voice barely a whisper. "Seto Kaiba is dead." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *cackles* I think I'll leave it there! And _yes_, Kaiba's dead. He wasn't saved at the last minute or anything. But don't run away, ok? I have some plans I think y'all might want to see play out. *chuckles* 

Kaiba: *looks fearful* Um... 

WSJ: Kuroi Karasu is Japanese for 'black raven'. I probably should have given him at least an Arabic name, since Kaiba's flashback hinted that he was Perssian, but my book of names is currently in the bottom of a box somewheres. *sweatdrops* Oooh yes, and to answer someone's question, no, this will not be a yaoi. I don't write yaoi. ^_^ Sorry! 

Chapter 8: Yugi, Malik and Joey, more determined to help then ever, come up with a plan. But it could be dangerous and involves entering Yami's and Yami-Malik's soulrooms... Meanwhile in the Shadow Realm, Bakura comes back to conciousness to find Pegasus and Jonathon, who have some explaining to do... And back at Kaiba Corp, Yami and Yami-Malik deside to give Kuroi the beating of his, er, life. And when Mokuba finds Kaiba's lifeless body... Well... I don't want to be there when he does. (^_^ Mokuba kicks some serious demon-buttock! *cheers*) 


	8. Bakura's Explinations: Mokuba Gets Reven...

WSJ: *bubbles happily* I think I'm on a roll... Two chapters in one night! *whistles* I am _good_! ^_^ Sorry if Kaiba's death depressed you... But it all works out! I promise! *begs* Please please _please_ don't run off jus' cause I killed off a bishonen...! 

Bakura: *sweatdrops* Get _on_ with it! 

WSJ: ^_^ Otay! Please excuse the typos... It's a little late... *sweatdrops* And me with an algebra quiz tomorrow... 

**Attention** *sweatdrops* I need some translating help for later in the story. I need a good, online, and above all, _free_ resourse that can reliably translate English into Egyptain/Arabic/Aramic. I've found a couple websites that do it, but whatever I ask them to translate comes out in their wiggly little characters that I call psudo-elvish. Those don't help me at all, since they're impossible to copy and even more impossible to type. Anyone have a site that'll translate into English script? Like spoken Arabian spelled out in English letters? Or can any of you do it yourselves? I really need it! It's only two senences for crying out loud, and I'll have to change the entire plot of the story if I can't get it! *wails* I _could_ translate it into Japanese, but that wouldn't work as well or be as cool as if I did it in Arabic!!! And now I'm rambling, so I might as well shut up... -.-; 

()()()()() 

Chapter 8 -- Bakura's Explinations: Mokuba Gets Revenge! 

~Joey's POV~ 

I stared in shock at Malik and Yugi. "No way Kaiba's dead... He jus' can't be..." My mind flashed back over countless duels, countless fights, countless times we'd disagreed... Was I actually gonna miss him? Well, maybe not the part about him calling me a chihuaua... 

Yugi looked at me with mild shock on his face. "Joey, you're crying!" 

With surprise I noted that I was. "Yug', we jus' _gotta_ help! Kaiba tried, I guess, and that demon got to 'im! It all ties together! The demon, Ryou, and Kaiba, your yamis too! It's all one big mess and I plan to get right in the middle of it!" I smacked my fist into the palm of my other hand and growled. "I gotta idea, but it'll be dangerous." 

Yugi and Malik looked at each other, apparently a little surprised at my rant. They probably thought I was losing it. Maybe I was! Then they turned back to me and nodded solemly. "What's your idea Joey?" Yugi asked. 

I swallowed. "Weeeell... If one a' you two would be brave enough to go into your yami's soul room, there jus' might be som'in in there we could use. I wish I could help more but... eh heh... Slight lack of evil spirits in my body..." 

Malik and Yugi looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Oh sure, come up with a plan that makes _us_ do all the dirty work..." Malik muttered. 

I glared at him. "What was that?" 

"You heard me!" 

"Watch it blondie!" 

"Well you're one to talk!" 

_"Stop it!!!"_ Yugi yelled, pushing in between us. "Just stop! I'll do it!" 

Malik paused for a moment, and then nodded. "If Yugi will, then so will I." 

Yugi smiled at him gratfully, then turned back to me. "Joey, you stay out here and make sure nothing goes wrong. If one of us looks like we're getting *cough* lost in our own minds, then slap us. Hard. Make sure we 'wake up'." 

I grinned and wiggled my fingers at Malik. "Oh, I'll make sure you're all right, all right..." 

Malik shot me a glare. "No unnecessary slapping or I will personally pull every hair on that head out of your scalp by its root." 

I rolled my eyes and cowered in mock-terror. "Oh help me Yugi! Save me!" 

Malik growled and tightened his grip on the Rod slightly. I flinched a little and Yugi possitioned himself between us again. "Guys, this is no time for jokes! Kaiba's dead, our yamis are probably about to follow and Ryou's getting worse by the moment! Will you stop acting like two-year-olds and help here?!?" 

Malik paled at the mention of his yami and I lowered my head a little in shame. "Sorry Yug', you're right." I held my hand out to Malik, who seemed more then a little surprised. "Truce?" 

He scowled and took my hand grudginly. "Temporarily." 

Yugi smiled at the both of us, though I could see the pain and fear in his eyes. "All right then. Let's go." He and Malik sat down side-by-side on the floor and I noticed for the first time that Malik was only wearing a pair of boxers and a bathrobe that was too big for him. I started to comment, but desided better of it. 

Yugi and Malik began to space out, and I leaned back against the couch, shivering slightly as Ryou's deathly cold hand brushed the back of my neck. Wait a sec, _deathly_ cold?!? 

Eyes wide, I spun around a put my hand near his nose. Nothing. I checked his pulse. Again, nothing. 

Paniking I cast a glance over at Yugi and Malik, who were totally out of it. I considered slapping them, but desided that if they were going to find something that might help, even now, it was worth leaving them alone. 

Swallowing hard I turned back to Ryou. "Aw man, com'on... Ryou you can't go an' die on me too..." Desperate, I tried to remember what Serenity had taught me about first aid. I shrunk back at the prospect of mouth-to-mouth, but desperate times called for desperate measures. 

I took a deep breath and leaned over my fallen friend, muttering as I did "Forgive me Ryou..." 

~Yami-Malik's POV~ (And the moment you've all been waiting for!) 

Yami and I watched in horror as Kaiba dropped away from the window. "Nooo!!!!!!!!" There was no way we could save him now. We didn't have the levetation powers of the Shadow Realm that Kuroi did. 

But that didn't mean we were helpless. 

In a fit of rage I threw out my hands and a bright lavendar glow filled them. I launched the pure darkness energy at Kuroi and sent him crashing back into the wall. 

I had no fear of harming Bakura's body. After all, it wasn't really a body at all, not in the living, breathing sence. It could feel pain and it could bleed, a fact I was very thankful of at the moment, but other then that it was not alive and was merely metaphysical. Even if I totally destroyed it, all Bakura would have to do was enter the Ring and then re-emmerge to "get" a new one. 

A sharp golden glow caught the corner of my eye and I saw Yami getting ready to throw energy at Kuroi as well. I powered up for a second blast just as Kuroi was getting up after my first one. 

The lavendar and gold balls of pure energy smacked into him at the same time, and we had the saticfaction of hearing him scream in pain. I was about to launch a third ball of energy at him when Kuroi was suddenly engulfed in a miniature black whirlwind. 

I let the energy I had gathered bleed off into the air as I stared at the bloodied Kuroi in shock. I glanced to my right and saw Yami with a similar expression on his face. 

Mokuba Kaiba was attacking Kuroi, tears rolling down his face one after the other. He was shaking so badly I was surprised he could even stand, let alone hurt anything. But nevertheless, his fists, though small, were pummeling at Kuroi, who seemed too shocked momentarily to move. 

Yami, a sorrowful look on his face, moved forward and gently pulled Mokuba off of the demon, easily lifting the boy into his arms. Mokuba went stiff, and then limp, like a rag doll, and began to sob on Yami's shoulder. 

"It doesn't matter." Kuroi wheezed, a crazed smile on his face. "The Locking Rituals are about to begin. It won't matter that you've beaten me! You lost Seto Kaiba and you are about to lose Ryou Bakura! Still think you're so high and mighty Pharoah?" 

Yami just looked at him, and I swear to this day that there were tears in his eyes as he gently rubbed Mokuba's back. He looked almost heart-broken for a moment, and then turned away. I had to strain to hear him whisper "Mind crush." 

Kuroi went completely limp, and after a moment the matter of his "body" became unstable and he faded away. Yami stood near the shattered window, still holding Mokuba, whose sobs had been reduced instead to hysterical hiccupping. "N-nii-sama..." I heard him whimper. 

"What are you doing here?" Yami asked gently. 

"I-I was coming to bring Nii-sama his lunch. He forgot it. And then I heard the crash, and I saw-I saw h-him-" He broke into tears again and Yami patted his hair. "It's all right Mokuba, it'll be all right." 

I put a hand on Yami's shoulder and realised for the first time there were tears in my eyes, for reasons I still don't entirly know. "Come," I said gently, steering the Pharoah back toward the door. "There will be guards coming soon." 

Yami nodded and started to lower Mokuba to the ground, but the Kaiba heir held on tighter and burried his face in Yami's shoulder. "Please don't leave me," he whispered chokingly. 

Yami nodded and straitened back up. "All right Mokuba, we'll take you with us back to Ryou's." The expression on his face was one I almost felt privilaged to see. His eyes were tender, and almost motherly. I'd only ever seen his face like that when Yugi was near. 

"Come on," he said, this time bringing me out of my thoughts. "We'd better go." 

We headed down the stairs, avoiding the security easily, as they were going up and we were headed down. Mokuba somehow fell asleep in Yami's arms, and I carried him for a bit after that because Yami began to complain his arms were falling asleep. 

As we stepped out of the back entrence into Kaiba Corp (the front was roped off with police tape and crowded with curious spectators and besides, we didn't want to have to see Kaiba's body) I felt a slight pressure in my mind and raised and eyebrow. *Aibou, what are you doing in my soulroom?* 

Mentally I felt Malik jump. ^Just looking for anything that can help us with Ryou! He's getting worse.^ 

I thought for a moment. *Third door on the left, second shelf up from the ground. Take the scrolls there and then get out of my head!* 

I felt Malik chuckle slightly, despite the tensity of the situation. ^Yes sir!^ 

"Malik's looking for anything in my soulroom that might help us with Ryou." I reported to Yami as the two of us began to jog back towards Ryou's house, Mokuba on my back, sound asleep. 

He nodded. "Yugi is too. He says that Joey's there with them and they have told him what happened. And they know Kaiba's dead." 

I nodded solenmly. "'Kay. Now will you take Mokuba back? This kid's heavier then he looks." 

Yami gave me a slightly watery smile and lifted the kid from my back. "Sure thing Ishtar." 

I blinked at him as we neared the Bakura household. "You actually called me by name!" 

Yami looked surprised. "I did, didn't I..." 

To door was unlocked and I pushed it open, still half-turned to talk with Yami. I turned back around and my jaw dropped. "Joey?!?" 

Joey jerked and looked up from his "passionate kiss" with Ryou's still form. Instead of becoming indignant, as he usually would, he looked vaugly releived. "Yami! Yami-Malik! Ryou ain't breathin' and I can't feel 'is 'eart beatin'!" 

Yami and I looked at each other, shock regestering on both our faces as on the ground next to Joey our hikaris began to come out of their traces. Yami dumped Mokuba onto Yugi's lap and kneeled down next to Ryou, placing his ear to Ryou's chest. After a moment he let out a releived sigh and sat up, but there was worry on his face. "It's there, but faint. It has begun." 

~Bakura's POV~ 

When I next came to I was lying flat on the cold stone floor of the Shadow Realm. Pegasus and Jonathon were kneeling on either side of me. I groaned slightly and managed to raise myself to my elbows, looking back and forth from one to the other, and then to the gold bubble surrounding us. "The heck? I've got the Eye in Ryou's top dresser drawer. What's protecting us?" 

Pegasus tucked his hair behind his ears, showing me that where the Millenium Eye had been there was indeed still an eye. But it was dull and glassy, and after my recent experiences with my hikari I readily identified it as blind. The other eye, however, seemed normal. 

Everyone thought that when the Millenium Eye was stolen Pegasus had eventually died without the magical properties of a Millenium Item to heal the loss of an eye. But everyone was wrong. I'd sent him to the Shadow Realm and then carved the Eye from his soulless body. Now I was slightly glad that I hadn't killed him. 

"This," Jonathon said, and held up, of all things, the Millenium Ankh. 

I blinked. "I thought I was the theif of the family Jonathon. How'd you get that away from Shaadi?" 

He shook his head. "I didn't. He gave it to me. Something about the strain of two Millenium Items being too much." 

"Speaking of strain..." I looked around and was releived to see Ryou lying a few feet away, the Ring on its broken cord beside him. "What's wrong with him..." I muttered, frustrated. 

Pegasus and Jonathon exchanged looks and shrugged. "We don't know." Jonathon said. "You're the almighty Spirit of the Ring." 

I frowned and resisted the erge to smack my older twin. "Enough sarcasm. I wish I knew what was happening..." 

"And so you will." 

The three of us turned toward the new voice and were amazed to see a woman standing behind us. She looked vaugly like the Mystic Elf, and a little bit like the Ties of Friendship. Her skin was light blue, her hair long and sea green. Two angel wings floated behind her. She was dressed in a long robe a shade darker then her skin. She smirked at us, and I caught the glimmer of fangs. 

"The time has come for the Locking Rituals. We are in need of a pure heart. And so we have chosen." 

She raised her arm to point at Ryou and I felt my eyes widen. "No!" I tried to get to my feet to leap on her, but I suddenly found myself held down by two Duel Monsters, the real ones that we used in my day, on either side of me. The Flame Swordsman gripped my right arm, and the Cyber Commander held onto my left. Mentally, I reminded myself to kill Joey and Tristan if I ever got out of this. I looked around frantically and saw Pegasus and Jonathon similarly restrained. 

"No! R-Ryou!" I struggled against the grips of my captures, but to no avail. They simply held on tighter. I watched in horror as the woman advanced to stand in front of my hikari. She bent down and picked up the Millenium Ring. She considered it for a moment, and then tossed it into the shadows. I heard it clink as it rolled away, but at the moment I didn't care. 

The woman gathered Ryou into her arms and lifted him with no more effort then if he had been a paper doll. She nodded at the Duel Monsters to bring us along as she started down the hallways. 

"Where are you taking us?" Jonathon demanded. 

The lady looked back over her shoulder and smirked. "Why, to the ritual chamber. Of course." 

"Who are you?" was Pegasus's question. I stayed silent. 

"My name is Briar-Rose. I am preistess of the Shadow Realm in my beloved's absence. But he has finally returned to us and shall perform the Locking Ritual on your friend here. You should feel honored that the great preist Seth is attending to you." 

Within a few minutes the corridor ahead of us opened up into a huge room. The ceiling soared away into darkness. Hiroglyphics were carved into the walls. I chose not to read them, not out of ignorence but out of a desire for self-preservation. I did not want to know what they said. 

In the center of the room stood a stone alter, lined in gold. That did not surprise me. In a place called the ritual chamber you expected there to be some sort of alter. No, what surprised me was the man standing behind it, dressed in deep blue robes that reminded me of the Dark Magician's, minus the hat. 

Apparently, he surprised Pegasus too. "Seto Kaiba?" 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ^_^ Yay! Chapter 8! *jumps around happily* Hurrah! Many reviews please! 

Kaiba: *sweatdrops* Dark Magician...? He has _no_ fasion sense! No trench coat either... *pouts* 

WSJ: *conjures up the DM's staff and whaps him on the back of the head* Don't you _dare_ diss DM! He's my favorite Duel Monster ever! Well, actually, it's a tie between Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Celtic Guardian... But what the hey! 

Kaiba: *rubs the back of his head gingerly* Itai... I think you cracked something... 

WSJ: *raises an eyebrow* What do you care? You're dead. 

Kaiba: *growls* Don't remind me! What do you want with me?!? 

WSJ: *giggles evilly, sounding disturbingly like Weevil* Two words. "Yami Mokuba". 

Kaiba: *pales* You wouldn't! 

WSJ: *grins sadisticly* I could and I probably will. In two, maybe three chapters. *snickers* 

Kaiba: *facefaults* Oh help... 

Chapter 9: The Locking Rituals begin, with Kaiba as the instigator! Bakura is powerless to stop him, but what you can't stop you should sabatoge, right? But as Kaiba (version brainwashed) comes towards an unconcious Ryou with a dagger held at ready, can Bakura do anything? 

Meanwhile, Yami and Yami-Malik pour over ancient scrolls, seeking a way to help, _any_ way to help! 

As time creeps closer and closer to the moment of truth, the universe seems to focus in on Domino City. Tea, Tristan and Isis show up at the Bakura houshold as well. Isis has an idea... But will it work? 

God bless minna-san! 


	9. Bakura's Spell: Safe At Last

WSJ: *frantically typing* Aarg! I gotta get this chapter done before dad makes me shut down my computer!!!!! 

Malik: *be-bopping with headphones on, which are connected to WSJ's boom-box* We can be strong and do anything/ If we dare to dream! 

Ryou: *sweatdrops* What's he listening to...? 

WSJ: Jo Dee Messina's _Burn_ album. "Dare to Dream" I think this song's called. *grins* I love JDM! Anyhoo, here's chapter nine! ^_^ 

Yami-Malik: *bounces through on a pogo-stick* I am Sailor Mini-Moon! Champion of love and justice! 

WSJ: *twitching randomly* Aarg... Must... Kill... Mini-Moon! *pulls a mallet out of HammerSpace and begins to chase Yami-Malik around* Die evil pink-haired freakish person! 

Yami-Malik: *high pitched scream* Noooooo! Pink Sugar Heart Attack! 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* That's the last time I tell them where Bakura hid the Pixi Stix... WSJ don't own us. Owns Jonathon. Owns Kuroi (who's dead and probably won't be back). Owns Briar-Rose. 

Malik: *squeaky and girlish-sounding, still singing along with JDM* Burn for meeeee! 

()()()()() 

Chapter 9 -- Bakura's Spell: Safe at Last 

~Bakura's POV~ (Jeez, I'm practically writing the whole thing from his POV...) 

At Pegasus's question, Kaiba turned to look at him and I noticed how, well, dead he looked. Around the eyes. It was like the lights were on, but no one was home. I cast a glance at Briar-Rose and saw her smirking, and I knew she was controlling Kaiba somehow. 

The Duel Monsters holding Pegasus, Jonathon and I pulled us over to a wall where a line of metal rings were mounted to the wall about seven feet up. They produced chains from somewhere about their persons and chained us in a row, our hands above our heads. 

Briar-Rose carried Ryou over to the alter and laid him down, chaining his hands and feet to the rings on the corners, dispite the fact he was unconcious and couldn't really go anywhere. 

I strained against the chains holding my hands, but they wouldn't come loose. 

Briar-Rose waved her hand in a gesture of dismissal and the Duel Monsters melted back into the shadows. She herself took a couple steps back, off the raised dais where the alter stood. I saw her nod at Kaiba, who took a step forward, his blank eyes fixed on my hikari. He slipped one hand into his robe and when he withdrew it I saw the glimmer of a knife. 

To my left I heard Pegasus gasp. "They meant _literally_ take his pure heart..." 

On my other side Jonathon gulped. "Don't watch Bakura," he said, a bit of sympathy in his voice. "Don't watch." 

"Like heck I won't," I muttered, but my eyes shut themselves tightly anyway. I found my mind drifting back over the past, what? It had been only twenty-four hours? Only a day? First me beating Ryou, and then having to go to school for him, which was torture in its own way, since I had _no_ idea what any of the teachers were talking about, except for history because they'd been studying, of all things, ancient Egypt. (I noticed the text books had no mention of the Shadow Games or Millenium Items, which was probably just as well.) Then I'd come home to a slap from my "friend" Yami-Malik, and then Jonathon, or more accuratly, the demon Kuroi's, voice in my head. I'd figured it out soon after being sent to the Shadow Realm that I'd been duped and realised that I'd recognised the voice wrong. It was not that of my brother but of the Perssian prisinor that had been sentanced to the Shadow Realm right before Yami began the rituals that sealed me in the Ring. Even if you had no powers to begin with, several millenia in the Shadow Realm would allow you to soak up at least a little magic. Anyway, after that- 

Wait a second, the voice in my head... Shadow Powers... The spell Kuroi used! 

My eyes snapped open and focused in on Ryou. Both Kaiba and Briar-Rose were chanting something, and Kaiba's knife was mere inches from Ryou's flesh. I noted with chagrin that Ryou's shirt had already been ripped open, leaving his chest bare. I could see it rising and falling, but only minimally. He didn't have much time. 

I closed my eyes again and consentrated, beginning some chanting of my own under my breath. 

"Mornie alantie, mornie utulie..." 

It would have been a lot easier had I been wearing the Ring, or had Ryou and I had our link firmly connected. But I wasn't, and we didn't, so I was forced to make do. 

"Maka yushiii kappa..." 

I felt Jonathon's and Pegasus's stares on me. "Brother, don't!" I heard Jonathon whisper feircly, but I ignored him, concentrating instead on the rise of magical energies I could feel inside of me. 

"Lumm perrdo falleh!" 

I completed the spell and released it, sensing it spread around the room and then ignite, like a thunderclap. I was glad I had my eyes closed as my world twisted and turned upsidedown, sending a slight feeling of vertigo over me. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing shallow, knowing that if either Kaiba or Briar-Rose noticed that "Ryou" suddenly seemed more alive, or that "I" was hanging limp from my chains on the wall, then Ryou and I were both dead. 

I bit my tounge until blood filled my mouth, trying not to scream as the knife peirced my chest and dove toward my heart, though pure it most certainly was not. 

~Yugi's POV~ 

I blinked myself fully awake as Yami dumped Mokuba Kaiba onto my lap. Mokuba curled up into a ball and whimped, clutching at my shirt. With a jolt I remembered the news I'd gotten from my yami about Kaiba's death. I swallowed lightly and gently placed a hand on Mokuba's back, offering what little comfort I could. 

"It has begun." Yami said quietly, sitting down next to me on the floor. Yami-Malik and Joey plopped down on his far side, Malik was already sitting next to me, holding the bundle of scrolls he'd found in his other's soulroom. I hadn't found anything. 

"Is there anythin' we can do now?" Joey asked. 

Yami-Malik frowned. "Maybe. If anyhing, the answers would be in these scrolls." 

"Then lemme at 'em!" Joey grabbed a scroll from Malik and started to unroll it, then sweatdropped. "It's in hiroglyphs..." 

Malik rolled his eyes. "Well duh Joey... These _are_ ancient Egyptians spirits we're talking about, not your grandmother." 

Yami and Yami-Malik snorted at the analogy, and I quickly ducked down behind Mokuba to hide my snicker. Joey pretended to pout, and handed the scroll to Yami. Yami-Malik and Malik each took one as well, and piled the rest in the center of our circle. 

I had Mokuba on my lap, trying my best to comfort the whimpering boy, who had woken up again, but was delighted to find that I was the one holding him. I guess Joey felt that he wasn't being much use at the moment, because he got up and started to pace. 

There was a knock on the door, causing all of us to jump, and since Joey was already up, he went to answer it. He blinked in surprise and I craned my neck to see who it was. Joey stepped aside to let them in, and my jaw dropped to see Tea, Tristan, and, of all people, Isis. 

Apparently, Malik had the same reacion I did. "Isis?" 

Isis ignored her brother for the moment and looked over at me. "You have the Tauk, right?" 

I nodded. "In my desk drawer. Why?" 

She frowned. "I'm not sure... I had a dream, and at first I thought it was the Tauk giving me a premonition..." 

"What was the dream Isis?" Yami asked. 

"It was in the Shadow Realm, I know that. It looked like Ryou was chained to an alter of some sort, and Kaiba had a knife, like he was about to gut him or something. Over on one wall Bakura, Pegasus and someone else, he looked a lot like Bakura, but not quite, were chained in a row. I couldn't figure it out." 

Yami and Yami-Malik exchanged looks. "I think, Isis, that it wasn't a premonition, but what is happening in the Shadow Realm at this very moment. Although, I don't see _how_ it could be Kaiba, since he's, er," He glanced over at Mokuba and I and I nodded, signaling that Mokuba was asleep again. Yami-Malik took a deep breath. "Seto Kaiba is dead," he said softly, almost exactly mimicing his hikari's words from earlier. 

Three jaws dropped. "_What_?!?" 

Joey and I did our best to explain as our yamis and Malik went back to the scrolls, knowing we were running out of time. Tea looked over at Ryou, her brow creased and tears of frustration and worry in her eyes. "Poor Ryou... Can't we do anything?" 

"That's what Yami's trying to find out." I told her. "Malik found those scrolls in his yami's soulroom, so we're hoping that they might have something in them to help us." 

Isis, hearing that the scrolls had been found in a soulroom and were in hiroglyphs, went over to help the other three. (I think Isis and Malik could probably read hiroglyphics, right?) 

"So, Tea, Tristan, how come you guys are 'ere?" Joey asked. 

Tea and Tristan looked at each other and shrugged. "I really don't know..." Tea said. "Something, a feeling." She placed a hand over her heart. "I felt you guys needed us here. I called Tristan, and he'd felt it too, so we came." 

"It was sort of like what we felt when Yugi was dueling Pegasus in the Shadow Realm," Tristan explained to Joey. "Like a small voice telling you to be there for your friend." 

Joey nodded. "Ahh... I see..." 

"I've got something," Isis said suddenly, staring at the scroll in front of her. "I think it's a spell for pulling souls out of the Shadow Realm." 

Yami leaned over to look over her shoulder. "You're right. A soul-release spell. That's what we need." Isis handed the scroll to him and he sat back, reading the spell more thouroughly. The farther he read the more worried he looked. 

/Yami, what is it?/ I asked mentally. 

//Just a moment aibou...// 

After about a minute and a half he looked up at us, apology in his eyes. "The spell is limited. We can only pull out one person or risk releasing every soul that's ever been sealed in the Shadow Realm." 

Joey blinked. "So what's the problem? Just grab Ryou and leave Bakura. The creep deserves it!" 

Isis frowned. "That he may, but there's something else about my dream/vision I think you should know. I felt the beginnings of a spell right before I woke up, and I think it was Bakura casting it. But I don't know what it was." 

Yami growled in frustration. "He may deserve to be stranded in the Shadow Realm, but I need to know what that spell was to be able to successfully cast this one. But the Shadow Realm has everyone and everything locked in and out." 

"Oh gimme that!" Yami-Malik grabbed the scroll and quickly read the spell to himself. "I'll fix it to grab two people no problem! I used to rig spells all the time." 

Yami rolled his eyes. "Yes, and they almost always went wrong. I'm not exactly Bakura's best friend, but even _I_ wouldn't wish getting turned into a penguin on him." 

Joey and Tea stifled a laugh, and I did as well. 

"It's the only way!" Malik said firmly. "Can you think of anything better?" Nobody could, so Yami-Malik took a deep breath and began to read from the scroll in smooth Egyptian I couldn't understand. 

~Pegasus's POV~ 

Just as Kaiba drove the knife into Bakura the air around us seemed to thicken. It felt almost fuzzy. Kaiba and Briar-Rose both felt the signs of a gathering spell and stopped chanting. 

Kaiba scowled and jerked the knife out of Bakura, causing him to whimper, a sound I never thought I'd hear coming from him. Blood already covered the alter, and his hair was soaked in it, staining it scarlet. 

With a snap the spell took hold. Bakura and Ryou vanished, and suddenly Jonathon and I were unchained from the wall. Bakura's twin started to run, but I grabbed ahold of the back of his collar to stall him. 

"Look at Kaiba!" I yelled over the rushing wind that seemed to have filled the room. "For the love of little green apples, _look at Kaiba_!" 

Said CEO was blinking and looking around, like he wasn't quite sure where he was or why. I gathered that he was now free of Brair-Rose's control. "Thank Ra for soul-release spells!" I muttered. Running back to the alter I grabbed his sleeve and pulled, hissing into his ear at the same time, "Come on Kaiba-boy, we'll explain when we're safe." 

He stared at me and blinked owlishly, so I gave his sleeve an extra tug. "Come _on_ Kaiba, Brar-Rose is hopping mad!" His mouth framed the question 'who?', but I didn't give it time. I turned and ran back to Jonathon, and after a moment Kaiba followed. We sprinted from the room and into the endless corridors of the Shadow Realm, leaving the ranting Brair-Rose blessedly far behind. 

When we finally slowed down, then stopped, the first words out of Kaiba's mouth were "Am I dead?" 

I frowned slightly and rolled my eye. "Not as far as _I_ know. This is the Shadow Realm Kaiba-boy." 

He gave me an annoyed look. "But _you're_ dead Pegsy, and I got thrown out of a ten-story building. Who says we're not dead?" 

I sighed. "Look, I'm not dead. I mean, my body probably is, but Bakura sent me to the Shadow Realm after stealing the Eye. He didn't kill my soul. The same thing probably happened to you." 

Kaiba furrowed his brow in thought. "Maybe... Kuroi said something about getting revenge for sealing him in the Shadow Realm, so maybe for his revenge he sent me here." 

"Trapped you here." I said, nodding. 

He looked startled. "Trapped?" 

I gave him a patient look. "Yes Kaiba-boy, trapped. Or would _you_ like to re-attach your soul to a body that's most likely in several peices and/or six feet underground?" 

He winced. "I see your point..." He turned around, and came face to face with Jonathon. "Um... Bakura? Ryou? No, as far as I know they don't have green eyes. Or dress like that." He eyed Jonathon's ancient Egyptian garments, moodily plucking at his own blue preist's robes. 

Jonathon smiled at him. "My name's Jonathon. Bakura's my brother. He sent me here something around 5000 years ago." 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "So we're all _three_ stuck?" 

"Basicly, unless you can find a soulless body to put yourself into, or someone who's willing to tolerate two souls in one body, like a sort of yami-hikari set up." I said. 

Kaiba sighed. "Right..." 

I opened my mouth to say something else, but my single still-seeing eye caught the edge of a soft gold glow. I stooped down to pick whatever-it-was up, and my jaw dropped. Behind me I heard Jonathon choke and Kaiba gasp. 

In my hand I held the precious Millenium Ring. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ^_^ Ok, maybe not quite as cliff-hangerish as some of the others, but stll pretty good, right? And long too. ^__^ Kaiba's back! 

Kaiba: *dully* Whoopie... 

WSJ: ^_^ Ohhh, just wait Kaiba-boy! It gets so much better. *giggles evilly* 

Kaiba: -_-; Oh joy... 

WSJ: Ok, the reason Kaiba got out of Briar-Rose's mind control, and Pegasus and Jonathon got out of the chains was because of the soul-release spell. Yami-Malik's tampering caused slight "side effects" and released them from whatever held them, namely the chains and Briar-Rose's spell. ^_^ 

Chapter 10: Bakura and Ryou arrive back at Ryou's house, _mostly_ intact. Ryou's still blind and Bakura still has a gaping hole in his chest. *sweatdrops* Oops? Meanwhile, Pegasus, Jonathon and Kaiba try to figure out what to do with the Ring. Briar-Rose melts into the shadows, planning her revenge. The Locking Rituals _still_ haven't been completed... 

God bless minna-san! 


	10. Gift of the Ring

WSJ: *walks in with a mallet over one shoulder and a saticfied grin on her face* Well, that was very refreshing! 

Bakura: Hm? *glances up from WSJ's newly purloined *cough* translated Gundam Wing "Episode ZERO" manga* 

WSJ: I just pounded Yami-Malik to a pulp for impersonating that freakish chibi-sailor. *drops mallet and claps hands in delight* Guess what! This story's going to be longer then I first planned! We're talking 17+ chapters here! I mean, Ryou still has to make his way around school, he's got to let his dad know *cringes* (can't _wait_ for that chapter) and plus, I've got a whole mini-arc in the works involving Yami and Yami-Malik, who get charged with Kaiba's murder and Mokuba's "kidnapping". *cackles* 

Yami: *sweatdrops* Crap... 

WSJ: *thoughtfully* Not to mention the whole "Yami-Mokuba" thing I keep hinting at... *shrugs* Anyway, here's chapter 10! 

**If anybody knows where i can get free English/Arabian translations, I really need it!!!!!** I can't post chapter 12 until I've got them! 

Oh, and Wildfire Flame? What better way to (to quote DarkGatomon) "vastly increase the volume without slightly increasing the plot". I do it all the time! Heck, I'm doin' it now!!! *shrugs* Writers like things to be long. It's an instinct of sorts. Adding more words makes things longer. And, in teh example you gave, it makes it sound just that much more mysterious. ^_~ 

()()()()() 

Chapter 10: The Gift of the Ring (I've dropped the "Bakura's blahblah" part because I'm running out of things. *sweatdrops* There's only so many things Bakura owns, ok?) 

~Yami's POV~ 

Yami-Malik read his rag-tag spell, stumbling a bit here and there. I winced at some of the impromptu phrases, but apparently it worked all right. Bakura appeared abruptly in the middle of the floor, and on the couch Ryou twitched and began to cough. 

Yugi and Malik grinned happily, and Joey, Tristan and Tea let out a cheer. Even Isis smiled. Everything was all right! 

...Or so it appeared at first. 

"Yami!" Malik gasped at his other. "What did you _do_?!?" 

Yami-Malik looked striken. "It wasn't me!!! At least... I don't think it was..." 

"You idiots!" Bakura wheezed, his eyes closed tightly in pain and his hands clutching at the shag carpet. "Help me!" His wound looked to be deep, and blood spilled crimson on the floor, causing Tea to look slightly sick. 

Ryou sat bolt upright on the couch. "What? What's wrong?!?" 

I suddenly remembered that Ryou couldn't see his yami's plight and quickly thanked every god I could think of on such short notice. 

"It's all right Ryou," Yugi said quickly, and I was surprised that my usually-honest hikari would lie so readily. Ryou calmed down somewhat, and Tea took Mokuba from Yugi, who went to sit next to the white-haired teen. 

Yami-Malik and I exchanged helpless looks. How _do_ you help someone who's been sliced open without having at least four degrees in medicine? 

A lightbulb went on over Joey's head. "'Ey, Bakura, why don' you jus' enter your soulroom an' then come back out? It's worked before." 

Bakura gave him an annoyed look through eyes clouded in pain. "No Ring." he grunted. "Lost it. No link either," I blinked in surprise and saw that he was right. Neither he nor Ryou wore the Millenium Ring. 

Joey's eyes widened and he sweatdropped. "Tha's not good..." 

Tristan gave him a look. "No dip, Sherlock..." 

Yami-Malik suddenly grabbed my arm in urgency. I prepared to bite his head off, but what he was saying reached my brain before my pharoah's instincts did. "Remember the Pharoah's Charm? Would that do it?" 

My eyes lit up. "It just might! Come on Ishtar." 

Yugi blinked at me. "Pharoah's Charm? The magic card?" 

I grinned. "Yes and no. The card, I suspect, was created after the spell. The Soul Release card too, since that was the spell we used to get them here in the first place. Tell me aibou, what does Pharoah's Charm do?" 

Slowly it dawned on him and he grinned at me in releif. "It heals." 

I nodded and winked. "But of course." 

The two of us moved forward and Bakura's eyes widened. "Oh no you don't! I'm not letting you use a Vulcan mind meld thingy on me!" Yami-Malik and I looked at him strangely and he blinked. "Ryou's dad collects old Star Trek movies. I get bored." He tried to shrug, but winced instead. 

Yami-Malik kneeled down on Bakura's left, and I dropped to my knees on his right, taking his right hand in my left. Yami-Malik took Bakura's left hand in his right, and then we joined our free hands, forming a slightly lop-sided triangle. 

I closed my eyes and began to chant, and in the back of my mind I heard Yami-Malik join me, adding his power into mine. I senced, rather then saw, the golden aura surround me, mixxing at my clasped hands with Yami-Malik's lavendar and Bakura's light blue. 

Bakura grunted as the healing spell took hold and squeezed my hand tighter, although non-intentionally, I'm sure. I knew how he felt though. Seth, my preist, had once had to perform this spell over me after an assasination attempt that very nearly succeeded. It _was_ rather unsettling to feel broken bones mending themselves in a hurry, flesh joining to flesh, adding the neccessary muscle and marrow. 

After a minute or so Bakura was completely healed and we released our hands. I sighed and flopped backwards onto my back, flat on the carpet. "Yami!" Within two and a half seconds Yugi was at my side, helping me to sit up. "Are you all right?" 

"I will be," I wheezed. "That took more out of me then I thought." 

"No kidding." I glanced over to where Yami-Malik was sitting. He'd managed to stay upright with the help of his hikari, but only barely. "How do _you_ feel Bakura? And what in seven pyramids happened?!?" 

The tomb robber was sitting up now, gently prodding the place where a moment ago he'd been, quite literally, cut to the quick. "Like death warmed over. I'll be fine, I guess... And what happened is none of your business!" he snapped, more like his old self. 

"Hey," Joey said suddenly. "Why don' you use that snazzy little spell thingy to heal Ryou's eyes!" 

I sighed and shook my head. "It's a good idea Joey, and your heart's in the right place, but it won't work. Deadly wounds only, and besides, I don't think I'll have built up enough power to try anything like _that_ again for at least a month." 

Joey's face fell a little. "Oh..." 

"His eyes?" Tristan asked, puzzled. Tea and Isis were also looking rather clueless. 

We looked at them for a moment, and then Yugi and Malik symotaniously smacked their foreheads. "Of course!" Yugi said. "Sorry we didn't explain sooner guys..." Quickly Yami-Malik, Malik, Yugi and I outlined the events of the past twenty-four hours, Bakura and Ryou both staying obstinatly silent. 

As we finished up Tea's eyes were watering. Marching over to Bakura she kicked him in the shin before turning toward Ryou and kneeling down in front of him, forgetting momentarily that he couldn't see her. "You poor thing... Ryou, I wish there was something we could do!" 

Ryou just shook his head mutely, his eyes downscast. "Don't worry about me," he said quietly. "Just worry about Mokuba. He lost the last of his family today, and his big brother to boot." 

We all looked over to where Mokuba was curled up in the corner, his face hidden from our view. We weren't sure if he was awake or not. 

The resulting silence was broken when Tea yawned. She saw all of us looking at her and sweatdropped. "Ah... I'm sleepy..." 

Tristan looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Dear sweet mother of pearl! It's almost 1 AM and we've got school tomorrow!" All the mortals except Ryou, Isis and Malik (who were still off school) groaned. 

"Man..." Yugi sighed, flopping back against the couch, seeing as Ryou was now sitting up and not taking so much room. "Can't we all just skip?" 

Suddenly Joey sat up. "That's it! We'll jus' all sleep in and skip! I mean, it's one day, and a Friday to boot. No one's gonna care. Sure, it might look a little suspicious, but we were all out for a week and a half during the Duelist Kingdom, and longer then that during Battle City. The teachers won't care." 

"You can all stay here tonight," Ryou offered. "My dad won't be home for at least a week, so someone can use his room. The couch in the den folds out into a bed, and there's the guest room too." 

Everyone smiled at him thankfully. Yami-Malik, Bakura and I tried to stay out of eveyone's way as they went about getting ready for bed. Joey, Yugi and Tristan stripped off their jackets, shoes and socks, so they were just in their jeans and T-shirts. Yugi also had the sence to take off all his belts. 

Tea and Isis, after getting permission from Ryou, rooted through several boxes of clothes that used to belong to Ryou's mother and found night-gowns the right size. Malik, being about the same size as Ryou, wore a pair of his pajamas, then helped Ryou undress and get into his own. Mokuba found an over-sized T-shirt of Ryou's dad's that, when he put it on, dragged the ground and slipped off on one shoulder. 

"Alright, now the only problem is who sleeps where." I said, eyeing the group. "I, for one, am looking forward to my soulroom." Ryou looked a little miffed, but chuckled along with the others. 

"I'll take my room." Ryou said. 

"Oh no you're not!" Yami-Malik said. "We haven't had a chance to clean it up yet. _You_ get your dad's room." 

The white-haired teen blinked in surprise, but nodded. The rest of them soon worked out who would sleep where, and they departed to call parents/guardians and tell them they'd be sleeping over at a friend's house that night. Through all of this, Bakura stayed seated on the floor, staring blankly at nothing. As soon as all the mortals had emptied from the room, Yami-Malik and I approached him. Only when I hauled him to his feet did he look up at us, and I was startled to see tears in his eyes. 

"Save it," he said roughly, shaking my hands off of his collar. "I don't need your lecturing, 'Almighty Pharoah'. So just take whatever you were going to say and shove it where the sun doesn't shine." With a misty glare he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. 

I started after him, but Yami-Malik held me back with a hand on my shoulder. "Let him be. I don't think he'll hurt Ryou or Yugi or anyone else. At least not tonight." 

"All the same, I'd feel better if we could keep an eye on him." I said. "He doesn't have a soulroom to go back to, and he doesn't need to sleep, which means he'll be wandering around here all night." 

Yami-Malik smiled faintly. "We don't need sleep either, don't forget. And there's no law saying we have to go back to our soulrooms." 

I nodded at him thankfully. "Good idea Ishtar." The two of us sat down on the couch Yugi and Ryou had recently occupied and settled in for the night. 

~Ryou's POV~ 

"Ryou..." 

I blinked and saw that I stood in a long, black stone corridor that stretched into infinity in either direction. Shadows played over the walls like living things, and with no small bit of fear I realised that this was the Shadow Realm. 

Wait, _saw_? 

I blinked very hard several times and could have jumped for joy. I could _see_! 

"Ryou... Mokuba..." 

Turning in surprise I saw the younger Kaiba standing behind me, clad in one of my dad's old T-shirts and an expression of fear. I moved a little closer to him and he eagerly clung to my hand. 

"Who's there?" I called, trying to get around the lump in my throat. To my disappointment my voice came out as a muffled squeak. 

Out of the shadows in front of us, three figures appeared. The first of the three stepped into the light and I nearly fell off my feet. "We're _dead_?!?" 

Pegasus gave me a withering look. "No. Your first assumption was correct. This is the Shadow Realm. We were mearly able to bring you here in a dream. Oh, and that's the only reason you can see. You're not really healed." 

I groaned and threw him a glare that would have made Bakura proud. "Well thanks a _lot_." 

Pegasus grinned at me and the next person stepped into the light, causing me to raise an eyebrow. It was almost like looking into a mirror. "And you are...?" 

He bowed slightly. "Jonathon. Your yami's unfortunate twin brother. I think this belongs to you...." He stepped forward and I gasped as he held out the Millenium Ring to me. 

"You're just going to give it back when you could have kept it? Why?" I asked as I took it, casting a significant look at Pegasus. 

"Because I said they had to." the third person said, finally stepping forward. 

At the sound of the voice I gasped. As Kaiba stepped into the light I felt Mokuba shudder under my hands. "S-Seto?" 

To my surprise, Seto Kaiba's face softened a little and he kneeled down as his brother ran to him. "Yes Mokuba, it's me. Kuroi killed my body, but not my soul." 

Pegasus suddenly seemed to have a thought and snapped his fingers. "Remember what I said earlier Kaiba-boy? About yamis and hikaris?" 

"Yamis and hikaris...?" Suddenly Kaiba's face lit up in rememberance, and his eyes darted to me, or rather, the Ring in my hands, its broken strap dangling through my fingers. He stood up, Mokuba in his arms. "Would it be possible to put both of our souls back into Mokuba's body?" 

I thought for a moment. "Maybe... If it can take souls from their bodies and put them into cards and game peices, it should be able to take souls from the Shadow Realm and put them into another body..." I said, fingering the Ring. "I think so. Most probably." 

Assured of that fact, Kaiba then backed away several steps to converse in reletive private with his little brother, leaving Pegasus, Jonathon and I to our own devices. 

"What happened back there?" I asked. "Last thing I remember, you two arrived (I heard your voices), and then somthing else happened and I blacked out, and then I'm hanging from these chains on a wall or something, and then I'm back at my house. How'd we get out?" 

Both of them looked like startled fish. "Bakura didn't _tell_ you?" Jonathon asked. 

I shook my head and the two exchanged glances. Jonathon smiled at me. "He'll tell you when he's ready. Be patient." 

I was just about to question after his cryptic comment when the Kaiba brothers returned, determined looks on both their faces. "Let's try it." Mokuba said, and Kaiba added "Yami-Mokuba here I come..." 

I nodded and concentrated as the Ring began to glow. The glow grew brighter, and then all went blissfully black as I sunk into a deeper sleep. 

~3rd Person POV~ 

In the master bedroom of a certain house, Ryou slept soundly, Mokuba curled up in his arms. The Millenium Ring lay on the bedside table, glowing softly to itself. Bakura, for reasons known only to him, sat in a chair in the shadows, an oddly tender look on his face, watching over them both. 

All was at peace at last. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *grins happily* You know, if I was really mean, I'd ignore the rest of the plot I have worked out and end the entire story right here, at ten chapters even. But I don't think I will. It's going to be too much fun to keep going. ^_^ 

Ryou: 0.o;; This is getting intresting... 

WSJ: You're telling me? Just wait till your first day back to school. ^__^ 

Ryou: -_-;; Oh joy... 

Pegasus: *looks over at Jonathon* ;_; We're alone again! Will we get any more screen time? 

WSJ: *shrugs* I dunno. I think most of the rest of this will take place in and around Domino City, mainly Domino High and the Bakura house. 

Chapter 11: It's a new day at last! Friday morning at the Bakura household will not be pretty. The coffee maker breaks *cough*explodes*cough*, thouroughly exhasperating Isis. Mokuba and Seto Kaiba try to get the hang of sharing a body. Even though the Ring's back, how come Ryou and Bakura still can't get their mental link established? I mean, seriously, at this point Bakura is _desperate_ for a soulroom. And to top it all off, Tea desides to watch the news, only to find the faces of Kaiba (reported dead of an assasination), Mokuba (kidnapped by the murderers) and Yami and Yami-Malik (the "murderers/kidnappers") plastered all over the screen. ;D That can't be good... 


	11. Gunpowder and Newscasters

WSJ: *waves* Hullo again minna-san! From now on this will get a little more light-hearted, especially when dealing with my Yami and Yami-Malik side-arc. ^_^ But there will still be bouts of extreme angst. *shudders* 

Ryou: *glares as best he's able* Yeah, like when I finally go back to school... 

WSJ: *puts her hand over his mouth* Onii-san... That chapter hasn't even been written yet, let alone posted. So shut your mouth. 

Ryou: *pushes her hand away and sticks out his tongue* 

WSJ: Uh, Ry-chan? I'm over here. 

Ryou: Oh, ok. *turns around* 

WSJ: *sighs* I really need to get you some more of that De-blinding spray... *turns appologetically to Baby Winter* Yami ate the last can. 

Bakura: *walks in and hands WSJ a mug of something* 0_o He _ate_ it?!? 

WSJ: *nods saddly* Yugi says he thought it was whipped creame... *looks at the mug* Ah... tea! Thank you Bakura! *takes a big gulp, then sputters and spits it out* HOLY KURIBOH!!!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY TEA!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! 

Bakura: *mystified* Tea? The drink? I thought you wanted Tea, as in Anzu. 

WSJ: O_O IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE I SUGGEST YOU TELL ME WHAT I JUST DRANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Bakura: *shrinks away from the fuming authoress* Um... *meekly* Blood? 

WSJ: (O__O) FOR THE LOVE OF LITTLE GREEN APPLES!!!!!!!! I JUST DRANK TEA'S BLOOD!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? 

Bakura: *winces, invisioning what she's going to do to him, and nods* 

WSJ: *glares* I'll deal with you in a moment. *runs off. Sounds of running water, much teeth-brushing and gargling is heard. Finally she comes back on, wiping her mouth with a towel* Idiot yami... Hey Ryou, we're out of mouthwash. 

Ryou: *sweatdrops* But I just bought three new jumbo-sized bottles yesterday. 

WSJ: *grimaces* I know. We're out of mouthwash. 

Ryou: 0_o; Okaaaayy... 

WSJ: *turns to Bakura, her eyes wild and her hands twitching* Now for you, you little white-haired vampire! 

Bakura: Eep! *runs* 

WSJ: *pulls the Frying Pan of Doom out of HammerSpace and chases* COME BACK HERE, CHIKUSHO!!!!!!!!!!! 

Ryou: *winces* This won't be pretty... Good thing I'm blind... *sighs* WSJ doesn't own YGO. And I regret to inform you that it seems that Tea has died because Bakura took all her blood. However, we were able to get non-dub Anzu, who is more kick-butt anyway. ^_^ So the story continues... 

()()()()() 

Visions of the Heart 

Chapter 11: Gunpowder and Newscasters 

~Yami-Malik's POV~ 

Yami and I spent most of the night watching Brady Bunch reruns on TV and trying to ignore the snoring of Joey, Malik, and Tristan coming from the den. Isis and Tea were in the guest room, and Ryou and Mokuba were in Ryou's dad's room. Yugi was sleeping who-knows-where. He said something about the bathtub. 

Bakura hadn't so much as come downstairs all night, but Yami and I weren't worried. We'd be able to sence it if he tried to do anything. 

At about six AM, just as the sun was beginning to come up, Isis came down the stairs, yawning tiredly to herself. Several minutes after that Mokuba helped Ryou down the stairs, a scowling Bakura following after them. 

I blinked and nudged Yami. "Doesn't Mokuba seem... I dunno... Taller then he was yesterday?" I asked in a low voice. 

Yami studied the younger boy for a moment, then nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. "I think you're right. And were his eyes always blue? I thought they were grey." 

(A/N: This is pure speculation. Does Mokuba even _have_ an official eye color? In some Duelist Kingdom pictures I've seen they look brown, others grey, in Battle City they're a dark violet, and in the PS2 game they're _blue_! What is up with this kid!?! So for the sake of the story I'm using grey. Humor me.) 

The night shirt he was wearing, which had previously dragged the ground and slipped off at his shoulders, now came to just above his knees and didn't slip at all. Supporting Ryou on one side, he came almost up to the blind teen's shoulder, where previously he'd only come up to his waist or a little above. 

"Mokuba," Yami asked, standing up. "Did something happen last night? You seem, bigger. And your eyes changed color." 

He blinked at us and for a moment he almost looked like our hikaris do when talking mentally to us, spaced out. "Um... Well..." 

"Yes," Ryou said from where he stood with one hand on the wall for balance. "Something did happen." Mokuba shot him a murderous look, but Ryou just smiled, obviously not able to see the way Mokuba was glaring. "You can't keep it a secret forever." 

"Yeah, but we can try..." Mokuba growled in a voice that quite obviously was too deep to be his own. 

Then, before our very eyes, Mokuba got shorter and his eyes changed back to grey, the way we were used to him looking. "Big brother, don't be so mean. They're our friends." 

Then he switched back, getting taller again, and his eyes changed to blue. "_Your_ friends maybe, not mine." He scowled and crossed his arms, looking a lot like Bakura, and also like someone else I knew... 

My eyes bugged out. "Holy macaroni! Kaiba?!? But you're dead!" 

"Mokuba" sighed, and then closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment. Seto stepped out of his little brother's frame. "My body may be dead, but my soul got sent to the Shadow Realm. Ryou," he gestured to the white-haired hikari, "Was kind enough to use the Ring to put Mokuba and I into a yami/hikari sort of set-up, except we don't need a Millenium Item." 

Yami and I turned in unison to see that Ryou did indeed have the Millenium Ring around his neck once again, hanging from a silver chain instead of a flimsey leather strap. 

Yami held up a hand. "Hold it. Let's wake up the others so you don't have to repeat this more then once." 

That turned out to be easier said then done, seeing as Joey could sleep through an atomic blast and a nuclear war, both happening at the same time. Finally Yugi (who had indeed been asleep in the bathtub. No water, of course) and Tea, who we'd woken first, just pushed him off the bed. He woke up as he hit the floor with a clunk. 

We headed for the kitchen, where we all found seats around the mahogany table. Well, all except for Seto and Bakura, who stood at opposite ends of the room glaring at each other or us or the room in general. Isis walked over to the counter to fiddle with the coffee maker while Ryou and Mokuba took turns explaining the 'dream' of the night before. Seto offered nothing of his own oppinion, or any of the events in between his arrival in the Shadow Realm and his departure some four-odd hours later. 

Once Ryou and Mokuba were done, the rest of us sat in stunned silence. 

"So Pegasus is in the Shadow Realm?" Yugi asked, finally breaking the silence. "Who sent him there? We never did find out who stole the Eye." 

I ducked my head to keep the others from seeing my smirk, and outright grinned when Bakura began to glare at me. The two of us and our hikaris were the only ones, it seemed, who knew where the Eye was currently. Either Moto and the others hadn't really looked too hard for the theif or they were just plain dumb. I voted for the latter. If they knew that the Eye was even now in a room right over their heads... 

I snickered softly and everyone looked over my way. "What's so funny?" Seto asked, and my hikari echoed the question mentally. 

"Nothing," I said aloud, while at the same time, *Gee, if they only knew just _who_ has the Eye...* 

Across the table Malik's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter, causing everyone else to give him odd lookes, glancing back and forth from me to him. ^Yami, stop it!^ 

Thankfully the both of us were spared from being questioned farther when there was a mini-explosion from the counter. We all blinked and jumped up to get out of the room as smoke began to full the kitchen. Bakura managed to step forward and grab hold of Ryou's arm to lead him out, so he wouldn't get trampled. 

We all re-gathered in the livingroom, staring wide-eyed at the kitchen door. A moment later Isis stumbled out, her hair frizzy and her face blackened with soot. "Chikusho! I think I burned the coffee!" 

"Idiot..." Malik mumbled. "You can't burn coffee..." 

"Well, I did..." Isis said. "The coffee pot went up in a rousing ball of flame as soon as I turned it on." 

Yami stepped forward and took the green coffee can out of her hand. "Is this what you used?" When Isis nodded he pulled the lid off and sniffed at the black powder inside. His eyes then widened and he slammed the lid back on. "This isn't coffee, it's gunpowder!" 

Tristan blinked. "Who in their right mind would keep gunpowder in a coffee can?" 

"Who in their right mind would keep gunpowder _at all_?" Tea asked, eyeing Ryou and Bakura. 

Ryou, sencing our stares, sweatdropped and pointed to the Ring, since he couldn't tell which direction his yami was standing in at the moment to point directly at him. "It's his. Something I don't usually ask about because usually I don't want to know... You'd be surprised what he keeps in the basement." 

"Ryou!" Bakura looked at his light in mock-disdain. "How could you!" 

I furrowed my brow and looked over at Yami, who looked just as puzzled as I. Usually Bakura would have slapped his hikari by now, or, in the presence of so many other people, maybe just threatened. But joking? This was new, and more then a little disturbing... 

Suddenly I realised something, and my eyes widened. When the kitchen had filled with smoke, Bakura had begun to cough and choke with the rest of the mortals. Neither Yami nor I had, because _we didn't breathe_! Bakura shouldn't have had to either! 

Stepping forward and trying to keep my posture casual I motioned for Bakura, Ryou and Yami to follow me into the den. After a couple questioning looks they did. In the back of my mind I felt Malik mentally tagging along, and I was pretty sure Yugi would be listening in too, but I didn't care at the moment. 

As soon as the door was shut behind us I pushed Bakura down on the couch and centered my ear against his chest, listening for a heartbeat. 

"I-Ishtar!" he sputtered, trying to push me away. "Get off!" 

After a moment I allowed myself to be pushed and stood back, looking thoughtful. I then turned to Yami and put my ear to where his heart would have been... If yamis had needed them. 

Now I was officially worried. 

"Bakura..." I said, trying to keep calm. "How long have you been here?" 

He stared at me. "What, this realm? Since last night, when you guys pulled me out of the Shadow Realm." 

By now Yami was catching my idea and looked almost as panicked as I. Now that we thought about it, Bakura shouldn't have been able to exist at all in this realm last night without the magic of the Millenium Ring, which Ryou hadn't gotten back until around 2 AM. But somehow he'd survived from midnight to 2 AM without any Item. Which shouldn't have been possible. "So your link with Ryou is back now?" 

Both of them looked surprised for a moment. "Actually..." Ryou said softly, fingering the chain around his neck from which the Ring hung. "It isn't. How strange." 

"How strange indeed." I said, frowning and hoping Bakura wouldn't deside to attack me after my next statement. "It seems that in pulling you out of the Shadow Realm without re-establishing your mental contact first, we inadvertedly created a physical body for Bakura's soul, instead of a merely metaphysical one..." 

Bakura stared at us in shock as he put the peices together in his mind, absently placing a hand over his beating heart. Mentally, I winced, preparing to be pounced on. 

"I'm _MORTAL_!?!?!?!?!?!?!" 

~Tristan's POV~ 

I yawned and flopped down on the couch next to Tea, chewing on a donut that I'd found in a cupboard. I propped my bare feet up on the coffee table, and Tea looked at me in annoyance. "I doubt Ryou would like a stinky-feet smell lingering around his table," she said, pushing my feet off and onto the floor. 

I gave her my best wounded-puppy look. "Tea, that's not fair! How do you know what Ryou wants?" I didn't give her time to answer, because something on the TV screen she'd been watching had caught my eye. "Is this the morning news?" 

"Yeah, why?" She looked back at the screen and gasped, fumbling for the remote to turn the volume up. 

"Hey Joey, Kaiba, you guys! You'd better get in here!" I yelled. 

They poked their heads out of the kitchen, and the door to the den opened so Ryou and the three yamis could get out. "What?" Seto asked in obvious annoyance. 

Tea pointed at the TV. "It's you." 

That got everyone's attention, and soon all of us were crowded around the set, the volume turned up as high as it would go. Sakura Kinomoto, the reporter, sat at a desk with her notes spread out in front of her. Just over her left shoulder was a picture of Seto Kaiba, wreathed by a black ribbon. The headline read "Millionaire murdered and little brother gone missing" 

"They mean you!" Joey said with a start, turning to Mokuba. "They think you've been kidnapped!" 

"Shhhh! She's starting her report!" 

"At aproxamatly nine-oh-seven PM last night, pedestrians walking down Crawford Avenue were startled to hear sounds of breaking glass. Ten stories above their heads a window in the Kaiba Corporation office building had shattered. It was not just any window, but that leading to the office of millionaire Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp. Two minitues later, just as police were arriving on the scene, people were further startled as the body of said millionaire was thrown down ten stories. It was determined early this morning, after careful examination of the body, that Mr Kaiba was dead before he hit the ground. Cause of death is still to be determined." 

She paused to shuffle through her notes and Yami snorted. "How about 'stolen soul'?" he asked sarcastically. 

"_Shhhhhh!_" 

"But that is not the end of this already sad story. By orders of Kaiba himself, there were no video survaliance cameras in his office, so we do not know exactly what happened. However, we do think we have pinpointed the killers." 

The screen shifted from a close-up of Kaiba to a grainy picture taken on a stairwell. The lighting was poor and the quality of the video even poorer, but there was no mistaking that hair. It was Yami and Yami-Malik. 

"These two indeviduals, who have yet to be identified, were caught on the security cameras running up the stairs and into Kaiba's office just seconds before the window was broken. A minute or so later, Seto's younger brother, twelve-year-old Mokuba Kaiba, entered his brother's office. This tape was taken about three and a half minutes after that." 

We gasped as the tape was advanced, and switched to the hallway outside of Kaiba's office. The heavy oak door opened, and Yami and Yami-Malik stepped out, with Yami carrying Mokuba, who looked like he was asleep. They made for the stairs and ran down them, and disappeared out the back door. 

"We believe that after killing Seto Kaiba the murderers drugged and kidnapped Mokuba. Authoraties believe he is being held for ransom, although they have received no demands. Steps are being taken to determine where the kidnappers took him, whether he is dead or alive, and who the kidnappers are. One of them has tentativly been identified as Yugi Moto, champion of the Duelist Kingdom Duel Monsters tournement, although some minor details, such as the height, do not match up exactly. However, they look enough alike that the kidnapper could be a reletive of Yugi's, and even now the police are surrounding the Turtle Game Shop to question Mr Moto and his grandfather, whom he lives with." 

Yugi's jaw had dropped. "Granpa!" 

Joey put a hand on his shoulder. "Now Yug', jus' calm down! I'm sure they won't hurt Gramps." 

"Oh, I know that." Yugi said. "But when they see I'm not at the Game Shop they'll get suspicious!" 

"Won't they just figure you're at school?" Isis asked, looking at the clock. "It's almost ten-oh-clock you know." 

Yugi groaned. "That's even worse! They'll see I'm not at school either!" 

Tea tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the screen. "I think it's a little late Yugi." 

Sakura had been listening to her ear-peice, her head cocked slightly to the side. "This just in, Yugi Moto, now considered at large and dangerous, is not at his home, nor his school. Furthermore, several of his friends, who previously were considered heros of the Duelist Kingdom, are not anywhere to be found either. If you have information about any of these individuals, please call the number on your screen." 

Once again Sakura's face was replaced by a sucession of pictures. I watched in muted horror as Tea, then Joey, then Ryou, and then finally my own face was displayed. 

"We are now led to believe that this is a plot arranged by Yugi and his friends, since during the Duelist Kingdom they were often at odds with Seto Kaiba and made it clear they held no compassion for him. As I speak, other possible conspirators, Mai Valentine, Bandit Keith Howard, Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor and several others, are being rounded up for questioning. The suspects houses are being surrounded. We believe we know where they are hiding. All recent attempts to reach the home of Ryou Bakura have failed, while all the others' homes are accounted for." 

"Because the phone blew up with the coffee maker..." Isis said sheepishly. 

"Background information indicates that Ryou's father is an archiologist and will be away for the next several weeks, making the Bakura household the perfect hideout for the gang. That is all we have at the moment, but I will continue to give updates as we have them." 

Reaching forward with a sort of numbness I flicked the TV off and we all sat there, staring at one another for several moments. Suddenly Ryou yelped as the last few sentences of what Sakura had said leaked through his brain. "They're coming here! We're gonna be in a lot of trouble..." 

Bakura looked at his hikari with a half-bemused, half-annoyed expression on his face. "That, Ryou, is a very big understatement." 

We were suddenly startled by a loud pounding on the door. 

"Open up! Domino police!" 

Not good. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *cackles evilly* I am _so_ bad!!!!!!!! 

Yugi: *sniffles* I hate you! Meanie-poo! 

WSJ: *grins* You'd better cooperate or I'll ship you off to KaTyA's for a week! 

Yugi: 0_0 Eep! I think I'll stay here, thanks! 

WSJ: Good. *turns back to audience* Well, during the course of writing this I went through about six more bottles of mouthwash and endless breath mints, trying to get the taste of Tea out of my mouth. None of it has worked, so if any of you have suggestions, I'm open to them. *licks her lips* However, I think I'm starting to like it... 

Yugi & Ryou: -_-;; Reviews please. 

Chapter 12: Mokuba, Kaiba and Bakura trick the cops into giving the rest of the gang some time, and they head for the Wheelers' to hide out. Serenity is a bit surprised to find that her brother and friends are now wanted, but does her best when the cops show up there too. Unfortunatly, it doesn't do much good, and two of our heros get hauled off to prison... 

Meanwhile, in the Shadow Realm, Briar-Rose watches these events in great intrest, and begins to plot her revenge... (_Major_ forshadowing for _Sacrifice of Shadows_!!!!! (the sequel to _Visions of the Heart_)) 

God bless minna-san! 


	12. Wanted Men

ï»¿WSJ: *running around in small, frenzied circles* THE DREAM!!!!!!!! IT'S A MESSAGE FROM THE SHADOW REALM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET IT OUT GET IT OUT, FOR THE LOVE OF KURIBOH, GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *trips over a small rock and bangs her head on a slightly larger one* Itai... 

Ryou: *sweatdrops* What's she ranting about? 

Bakura: She had a dream about you last night. It was actually a pretty cool one, and she's going to work it into _Sacrifice of Shadows_ somehow. 

Ryou: -_-;; She's started work on SoS already? But VotH isn't even close to being done! 

WSJ: *getting to her feet, now back in her right mind* Actually, closer then you think Ry-chan. What is this, chapter twelve? *thinks for a moment* It'll probably run about sixteen or seventeen chapters, twenty at the most. ^_^ And it gets a lot angsty-er. These next two chapters will be sort-of humorous, but after that it goes right downhill again. *sniffles* Ok, small teaser: Ushio, Ryou, hospital. *sniffles again* 

Ryou: *sighs* Don't give too much away onee-chan... 

WSJ: *waves him off* I won't... After all, I was hinting at the "Yami-Mokuba" thing for like four chapters and only a couple people actually got it. *sighs* Maybe I'm not as good as I tend to let you guys let me think... I don't think this story is sad at all! I've read much sadder ones. But you guys keep saying it's so great... *shrugs* Whateva'... *giggles* Watch out for Joey in this chapter. He tries to play hero. ^_^; He doesn't quite suceed, but we love him anyway... Practically this whole chapter is forshadowing for SoS. ^_^; 

Bakura: She doesn't own us. 

WSJ: Oh, and in chapter 9, one line of Bakura's spell _is_ Elvish. Quenya. ^_^ It means 'darkness has come, darkness had fallen'. Kudos to those who noticed. As to the reason I put it in... *shrugs* I just wanted to see if anyone _did_ notice. Hey Bakura, present! 

Bakura: O.O What is it? *edges away from the box* 

WSJ: Nothin' much, jus' a present from HotaruMaxwell. *the name gives her an idea* Hey, Hotaru! How 'bout I save these for _Pine Cones and Holly Are Not Good to Eat_? *giggles* They'll make a great chapter, all on their own! Not to mention the plane tickets... *grins evilly* 

()()()()() 

Visions of the Heart 

Chapter 12 -- Wanted Men 

~Joey's POV~ 

All around the room eyes widened and jaws dropped as the cops continued to pound on the door. 

"Chikusho, they're fast..." Yugi muttered. Later on that would bug me, since Yugi almost _never_ curses, but at the moment we all had bigger things to worry about. 

Ryou seemed to be thinkin' about the fastest out of all of us. I guess goin' through that much hell and trama in 48 hours can cause a guy to be quick on his feet. "Hurry," he said, motioning to a door next to the one that led to the den that none of us had noticed before. "Go down into the basement. I'll stay up here and act as if nothing's wrong." We hesitated and he heaved a sigh. "Look, it'll look suspicious if I wait too long to answer the door. Just _go_." 

Everyone nodded and headed for the stairs, but I held up a hand to stall them. "Wait a sec. I gotta idea." I grinned. "Hey Kaiba, up for a little haunting?" 

He eyed me suspiciously. "What do you have in mind chihuaua?" 

I grimaced. "And ta' think when I thought you was dead I was gonna miss ya'... Let's have Mokuba, Ryou and Kaiba be the only ones up here. No, better idea, _Bakura_, Mokuba and Kaiba, since no one knows Ryou's blind 'cept us. Bakura, you immitate Ryou and read a book on the couch or somethin'. Kaiba, you and Mokuba pretend to be ghosts. Talk ta' the coppers and such, but Bakura, you pretend that ya' can't see or hear 'em. Like they really are ghosts." 

Tristan grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "Great idea! And that'll freak 'em out enough to give us time to come up with something better!" 

I nodded. "Tha's the plan." Everyone quickly agreed, even Kaiba, which surprised me, and the rest of us headed for the basement. It was cold and dank, like most basements, and was lined with shelves. Row opon row of bottles, cans and jars. 

"You were right Ryou," Yami said as he inspected a nearby row of cans. "I _don't_ believe some of the stuff Bakura's got down here..." 

Malik sweatdropped as he stared at a huge metal drum in the corner, it's contents printed across the side in black along with a bright yellow radioactivity sign. "Nitroglyserin? Is that really what he's got in there, or just the tub he's using to hold something else?" 

Ryou sighed and sweatdropped slightly. "It's nitroglyserin... He's got so many explosive chemicals down here that if someone were to light a match the whole place would go off like a nuclear explosion." 

I gulped and backed into the center of the room, Tea, Tristan, Yugi and Isis quickly joining me. My foot hit something, and I glanced down. Then I yelped and jumped several feet to the side. "Holy cheesburgers! That's a flamethrower!!!" 

"Shhhhhh!" Malik said, running over and putting her hand over my mouth. "I hear something..." 

We were distracted for the moment from Bakura's stockpile of black market weaponry as footsteps sounded overhead and we heard muffled voices. There was a cruel laugh that I knew could only be Kaiba, and then screams and more footsteps as lots of little fat men in blue sprinted for the front door, slamming it behind them. 

We stayed huddled in the basement for what seemed like an eternity, crowded in on all sides by explosives and every sort of weapon you can imagine, from sabers to machine guns, trying not to breathe too loud, lest something go off. 

Finally the door at the top of the stairs opened and Kaiba stuck his head around. "Ok, come on up. They took Mokuba and Bakura with them." 

"What for?" Yugi asked as we hurried up the stairs, grateful to leave Bakura's lab behind. 

Kaiba sighed. "They believed my ghost act, but not Mokuba's. They 'rescued' him, and arrested his 'kidnapper', aka Bakura." 

"Why didn't you just explain to them what happened?" Tea asked. 

Yami-Malik sweatdropped. "Oh, sure, 'See, it wasn't these guys who murdered me. No, it was this guy over here, but he was posessed by a demon at the time, so let's all just shake hands and be friends, ok?' Yeah, that'd go over really well..." 

Tea mushroom-sighed. "I see your point..." 

"We should get out of here..." Yugi said nervously, as if a copper might jump out and bite him at any moment. 

The rest of us agreed. "My house is closest to here." I said. "We should try and head over there. Dad'll be at work this time of day. Serenity's comin' ta' visit sometime today, but after she hears the news headlines I doubt she will." 

And so began our mini-journey. We snuck through back-alleys and even-farther-back-alleys for a little over four blocks until I saw the welcoming sight of my house ahead of us. I was just about to leap out of the alley and run for the door when Tristan grabbed ahold of my arm. "Watch it, cops at three-oh-clock." 

"Wha'? But it's only eleven-thirty." 

He sighed. "Forget it Jo'..." 

"Leave it to me." Kaiba said, darting into the shadows and steadily creeping closer to the duo of police officers stationed on our pourch. He then sprinted across the lawn and around the side of the house. The cops, with a shout of disbelief, quickly followed. 

The rest of us ran like hell for the door and I desperately fished around in my pocket for my house key. Oh why hadn't I had it ready? 

To my surprise the door was suddenly opened by Serenity. For the moment I had to let it go as we ran inside and I hurried around closing drapes, lest someone catch a glimpse of us. 

"Joey!" 

I turned at Tea's shout and could have smacked myself. She stood next to the door, giving me a very distressed look, and I instantly knew why. In the rush to get to the door and out of sight, we'd forgotten that there was no way Ryou could know this terrain well enough to run it blind. He was still crouched in the mouth of the alley, a vaguly paniked look on his face. 

"I'll get 'im." I said, knowing that I had to hurry. The cops wouldn't be distracted by Kaiba-the-ghost for long. I stuck my head out the door and then sprinted back across our yard, expecting at any moment for a cop to appear and stick a gun in my face. I made it safely to Ryou, but was chagrined to find I was sweating something horrible. 

I grabbed his arm and whispered feircly "Even with me to guide you you won't be able to run fast enough to make it back inside. So I'm gonna pick you up, toss you over my shoulder and sprint. Ok? Just trust me." 

He swallowed hard and nodded. "I do, Joey." 

I smiled, even though he couldn't see me. "Good. Ok, get ready." He braced himself and I heaved him so that I was holding him around the knees, his face and arms trailing down my back. I took several deep breaths to calm myself, and then ran, the Millenium Ring, hanging down from around Ryou's neck, bouncing against my butt. 

We almost made it. Unfortunately, in this game, "almost" didn't count. I was within five feet of the pourch when a cop stepped out in front of me, his arms spread wide. "Stop, in the name of the law!" 

"Do ya' have any idea a' how cheesey that sounds?" I asked, trying to dart around him. He managed to catch my shoulder, almost causing me to drop Ryou on his head. 

As it was, both of us got thrown to the ground, and before we could get up again the cop had his gun out and trained on us and his partner was running up, drawing his own as he came. I put a hand on Ryou's shoulder to stop him from trying to run again and looked desperatly at the door to the house. 

Tea and Malik stood on one side of it and Yugi on the other, their eyes wide in horror. Between them I could see Tristan struggling to hold onto my sister, who was tryng to get away, tears in her eyes. I locked eyes with her a moment, and she calmed down a little, seeing there was nothing she could do. Now instead of struggling to get to me, she just turned and began to sob into Tristan's trench coat. 

"You are under arrest for possible involvement in a murder plot. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." 

I tuned out the rest of my rights as the other cop hauled Ryou and I to our feet and cuffed our hands in front of us. Thankfully he got the message, however, that Ryou couldn't see and led him to the cop car instead of just expecting him to walk on his own. 

They shoved the two of us into the back and then the two of them climbed into the front. We started off, sirens blaring. 

I realised suddenly that I was trembling, and Ryou was too. I scooted over a little on the padded seat and leaned my shoulder against his, just so he'd know I was still there. He turned a little and smiled at me, showing he appreciated my support, and both of us were a little calmer. 

~Bakura's POV~ 

I had been sitting in the corner of the holding cell for about twenty or so minutes, my cuffed hands laying across my knees, trying to figure out how in pharoah's name I'd gotten myself into this mess. The cops had stormed in and immediately placed me under arrest, demanding to know where Mokuba was. I said I didn't know, and they didn't believe me, so the Kaibas started up their ghost act. 

Unfortunately Mokuba came out of the den, where he'd been hiding, before Seto came out from the kitchen. The cops set on him with a mind to 'rescue' him, and even when the elder Kaiba did appear they just ran away screaming, dragging Mokuba and I along. Once we'd gotten to the police station they'd thrown me in here, ushered Mokuba into a nice cushy office, from what I had seen of it, and I hadn't seen the little black-haired brat since. 

I didn't look up when the cell across from mine was opened, nor when the one next to it was opened as well. 

One of the cops snickered at me as he turned to go. "Looks like you've got some company punk." 

I sneered at him and turned away, but a familiar tossel of snowy hair in the cell directly across from me caught my attention. "Ryou!" I crawled forward as best I could and sat down next to the bars. "Ryou, did they hurt you at all?" 

My hikari shook his head, I was relieved to see, and my voice had caught the attention of the third prisinor in the hall with us. 

"'Ey, Bakura. Long time no see, 'eh?" 

I rolled my eyes. "Oh great, now they've desided to torture us by putting Joseph into the cell next to ours." 

Joey looked at me indignantly, clanking his own hand-cuffs against the bars of his cell. "'Ey, don't be a yami..." 

This statement was so absurd that Ryou began to laugh, and I snickered. "Joey, you have no idea..." 

But as quickly as it had come, the light-hearted moment passed. "We're in real trouble..." Ryou said quietly. "If they caught us, they won't give up until they get the others too." 

"But we're innocent. _We_ know that, so we just gotta make 'em see." Joey said. 

"I think that's easier said then done..." 

We sat in silence for a long time, the only sounds being the faint chatter of a radio news report in an ajoining office. "'Ey," Joey said, frowning. "Did they jus' say somethin' about Yug'?" 

The three of us strained our ears, trying to catch the fuzzy sounds. 

"...Wheelers house... Moto... himself up... arrested..." 

"Dangitall!" Joey yelled, throwing his fists, along with the heavy hand-cuffs, against the concrete floor. "Yug', don't be an idiot!" 

"He's thinking that by giving himself up he might be able to get us out." I snarled. "Yeah, that sounds like him all right..." 

"No..." Ryou whispered softly, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. "No, iie, _no_!" 

I stared at my hikari in amazement as around his neck the Millenium Ring activated, throwing off a pure white light instead of it's usual gold glow. The light spread, until it outlined Ryou, flying from his finger-tips and sparking off the ends of his hair, which was now floating behind him, like a bizzare, snowy cape. His eyes flashed once, and were suddenly completely white, from edge to edge. No pupul, no iris, no color, not even any dullness, nothing but pure white. 

"Bakura, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost!" 

In the back of my mind I registered the fact that Joey was yelling at me, but at the moment ignored him. The way our three cells were situated, Joey and Ryou both had a clear view of me, and I of them, but they could not see each other. Maybe that was for the better. 

My jaw dropped as Ryou began to speak, and I felt reality distort around us. He was doing something, but I didn't know what, and I don't think he did either. 

"ï»¿ Ù…ÙŽØ§ Ù‡Ù 


	13. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Fangirls?

WSJ: Um... I really have nothing to say... Except that hang in there, because your questions will get answered in this chapter. And better yet, Ryou goes back to school!!!!!!! *giggles* Minor self-insertation, but it's barely noticible, so I hope you'll ignore it. You might recognise a couple (three) other faces in the halls of Domino High, if you look hard enough. ^_~ 

Ryou: *sighs* Here we go again... -_-; 

WSJ: ^-^ Poor Ry-chan... Don't worry, nothin' really bad happens until next chapter. *winces* But then it gets _really_ bad... 

Bakura: *coughs politely and holds up the rough draft for chapter 14* She's right Ryou. Next chapter is gurenteed to make fangirls cry... Or swoon... Or both... *keeps reading* Hey! I kick butt! 

WSJ: ^__^ Dang striat! But that's not for a chapter or two, so lets get our minds back to the present, shall we? You can really tell that Bakura's beginning to become a little more sympathetic to Ryou, but I repeat, *pulls out a bull-horn* THIS WILL **NOT** BE A YAOI!!!!!!!!!!!! *drops bullhorn* Hey Malik! Do the disclaimer! 

Malik: *sighs* If WSJ owned YGO, Ryou and I would have girlfriends, Bandit Keith would get kicked out, Weevil would be decapitated and Bakura'd get more screen time. -.-;; 

Ryou: *blinks* Hey Malik-Onii-san, you never actually _said_ that onee-chan didn't own-mmph! *gets cut off by WSJ slapping a hand over his mouth* 

WSJ: ^.^; Ignore him! Roll fic! 

()()()()() 

Visions of the Heart 

Chapter 13: A Weekend of Puzzlement and a Monday Morning of "Fun" 

~3rd Person POV~ 

Everyone regrouped back at the Wheelers and sat around staring in puzzlement at the TV, which was broadcasting the news. Apparently, everyone now thought that Seto Kaiba had died in a car accident. No security camera tapes, no broken window, no kidnapping, no nothing. It was like everything had been erased from everyone's minds, and then drawn back as something _completely_ different. Yugi and crew seemed to be the only ones who actually remembered the true events of Seto's demise. 

Seto himself had departed back to wherever his brother was, by way of simply entering his new soulroom. 

"What in the name of Kuriboh happened?" Tristan demanded the moment that Joey, Bakura and Ryou (now awake) walked through the Wheelers front door. 

"How the hell should I know?!?" Joey demanded. "If anything, ask them," he jerked his thumb back at Ryou and Bakura. "Somethin' really wacky happened, but I couldn't see what! And they won't tell me!!!" 

They turned to the silent pair in confusion. "Is that true?" Yugi asked. "Do you know what happened, Ryou? Bakura?" 

Bakura pressed his lips together for a moment. "It was a spell, of sorts. That is all you need to know. Come on Ryou, we should get home." 

The two turned to leave, Bakura's hand on his hikari's shoulder to guide him, but Yami stood in their way, his face stern. "Bakura, you'd better tell us! I could Mind Crush you so fast it would make your head spin." 

Bakura just glared back at the ex-pharoah. "And I could erase your minds long before you had the chance." 

Yami let out a short, barking laugh. "Erase our minds? It seems that your little stay in jail has caused _you_ to forget Tomb Robber! Or have you so easily dismissed the fact that you are now mortal, through and through?" 

Tea, Isis, Tristan, Joey, and Serenity let out gasps of surprise. "Mortal?" Joey asked in disbelief. "As in, _human_?" 

Bakura growled, his lip curling upward into a sneer. "I outta..." Unconciously he clenched his fists, tighting his grip on Ryou's shoulder until the boy whimpered. 

Bakura blinked and it seemed his quarrel with Yami was suddenly forgotten. He turned all of his attention to his hikari, and noticed how weak he still looked. 'It must have been all the energy he spent on... that whatever-it-was earlier.' Bakura realised. 'In fact-' 

He didn't get a chance to think any farther because at that moment his prediction came true and Ryou's eyes fluttered breifly before closing in a dead-faint. Reacting from pure instict and some new-found feelings (that he wasn't about to let Yami and the others see, whether they wanted to or not), Bakura took a step forward and caught Ryou before he hit the ground. He then lifted him easily into his arms and turned once again to face Yami. 

"Let me by Pharoah. Ryou needs to be home, in bed, and his room needs cleaning before that can happen." 

Yami, as well as the rest of them, were momentarily stunned to silence. After a small bit of mental prodding from his other, Yami stepped out of the way and let them pass. Yugi stepped up beside him and the two stood frowning slightly as they watched his back becoming smaller in the distance. 

"Are you sure it was wise to just let him go?" Yami asked in a low voice as the others went back to talking amongst themselves. 

Yugi shook his head, still frowning. "He's mortal now, and somehow I doubt he would hurt Ryou anyway. Not after what has happened." 

"If I were you I wouldn't underestimate his heartlessness that way." 

"He can't be totally heartless." Yugi protested. "After all, you aren't. And not even Yami-Malik is. He's gotta have a heart in there _somewhere_." 

"I hope so aibou..." Yami said quietly. "For Ryou's sake..." 

The weekend passed in the way that weekends do. Saturday was spent hanging out at the Game Shop. Even Ryou stopped by for a bit with Bakura playing guide-dog. 

Things were pretty much back to normal at the Kaiba Corp labs as well. Mokuba had assumed control of the company, and with Seto whispering advice, quite literally, into his ear the whole time he did fine. 

Sunday everyone pretty much hung out with their respective families, although Yami and Yugi dropped in on the Bakuras late that afternoon and were rather plesently surprised (and very amused) to find Bakura trying to cook dinner for himself and his hikari, while Ryou sat at the kitchen table giving him directions and trying not to laugh. 

But, to the sadness of all, (harhar, except the readers!) Monday morning came. Bakura, who for the moment was sleeping in the guest bedroom, was awakened to an alarm coming from Ryou's room (which he'd cleaned up Friday night). Blearily he stumbled down the hall and saw his hikari sitting up in bed, waiting for him. 

"Wha'?" Bakura asked. "Ryou, it's six AM!" 

"I know." Ryou said. "Yugi's going to come by at seven to walk me to school. I just need help getting dressed, is all." 

"You're going back to school already?" Bakura asked, yawning hugely. He still wasn't quite used to the whole 'sleepy-ness' thing yet. 

Ryou looked surprised. "Yes, of course! I've never missed more then three days of school in my entire life!" 

Now _that_ surprised Bakura. "Never? I mean, sometimes I left you... in..." 

"Pretty bad shape?" Ryou finished. Bakura nodded, and he smiled. "Oh, I always stuck it out somehow." 

"Hmph..." Bakura muttered as he headed for Ryou's closet to find his school uniform, but his eyes were shining. "Maybe you _aren't_ such a weakling, Runt." 

Ryou grinned widely, rejoicing in this new sort-of friendship with his darker half. "Why, thank you!" 

Bakura just rolled his eyes. 

Forty-five minutes later the doorbell rang, and Bakura opened it to see a cheerful Yugi and (surprisingly) Yami, both in their school uniforms and ready to go. "Yami?" 

"Yes, aibou and Grandpa both think I should go to school and learn about modern things." Yami rolled his eyes to show his opinion of _that_. "I'm supposedly Yugi's older brother, and I'm one grade above him. You should consider it too Bakura, seeing as you're now a mortal and all." 

Bakura remembered just in time that he was supposed to be an evil kisima. His time spent with Ryou was beginning to make him go soft, he thought disapprovingly to himself. "Stop reminding me Pharoah! And I do not need to learn about what these pathetic humans know." 

Ryou walked up behind them, one hand against the wall for balance and the other holding his backpack. "I'm ready to go." he said in his usual quiet, dejected manner. He and Bakura had agreed that especially after the two Motos had walked in on them cooking dinner Sunday night, they should try and act as 'normal' as possible. Ie, Ryou being meek and subjective, and Bakura being harsh. At least on the outside. 

Bakura glared at their backs as they walked away, and then shut the the door, turning to lean against it. He then sighed and allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "Ack Ryou, look what you're makin' me do..." 

However, if he had known what the day would bring, he would have never let Ryou go... 

(WSJ: Hentais! Get your minds out of the gutter! _Protective friendship_, not yaoi!!!!!!!!!!) 

"Ryou," Yugi asked as he guided his friend down the street, a little concerned for his silence. "Are you ok?" 

"Yes Yugi, what makes you ask?" Ryou asked, blinking in surprise. 

He shrugged, although Ryou couldn't possibly know he was. "Oh, you just seemed really quiet, that's all." 

Ryou shook his head and offered Yugi and his yami a small smile. "I'm ok. Really," 

Yugi shrugged again. "If you say so..." 

Needless to say, everyone at school was surprised to find Ryou Bakura blind. Even students who had never previously noticed the shy, white-haired boy gave him words of sympathy in the halls. 

The story that Yugi, Yami and the others were circulating was that Ryou had been sick for a long time with a similar disease as what Serenity Wheeler had had, and that was why his dad was always away from home, trying to earn enough money for his son's operation. However, he hadn't made it in time, and now Ryou was completly blind. Ryou had approved the story before hand, and in fact, he and Bakura had come up with it. Usually he didn't like lying, but in this case he really couldn't tell the truth either. 

The students and a majority of the teachers accepted this answer, a fact for which Ryou was extremely glad. 

Ryou had either Yugi, Joey, Tristan or Tea in most of his classes, so he was able to get around pretty well. At lunch, four girls who would sometimes hang out with him and the others shared their lunches with him, even though he'd brought his own. 

They began to play a sort of game, where one of them would hand him something to eat, and whisper a clue as to what it was in his ear. Not only did he have to figure out what the food was before one of them got him to eat rocks, he had to guess which girl had said it by just their voice. 

He grinned as one of them dropped something into his hand and then said "It's dark brown, and sweet, but sour." 

Mentally he tried to place the voice to a face. In several moments he got it, and grinned. Long blond hair in a French braid, sparkling blue-grey eyes, almost undoubtably dressed all in black with a silver cross and a large silver ring (that almost looked like the Millenium Ring) around her neck. 

"Jade," he said confidently, and he heard her laugh. 

"Got it! Now what did I hand you?" 

"Oh, that's easy," he said popping it into his mouth, "Teriaki chicken." 

"My turn!" One of the others said. 

"No mine!" 

"Mine!" 

Ryou chuckled and easily identified the other three girls as Jade's best friends and sometimes co-conspirators. He couldn't remember their names right off, but the faces came to him plain as the chicken in his mouth. The first had long black hair with blue streaks and a gold armband that Ryou suspected was more then it seemed. The second had an almost star/flower-shaped crystal broach on the bow of her uniform and extemely short black hair with bleached-blond bangs, almost in a Yugi-esque style, except they weren't alive. 

(WSJ: *shudders* I think Yugi's bangs are alive. Does anyone else think Yugi's bangs are alive? Yugi's bangs are alive!!! Iiieee!!! *runs around in small, frantic circles*) 

The third, other then Jade herself, had long honey-blond hair pulled back in a headband and was short, only a little taller then the boy she had a major crush on, aka Yugi Moto. 

"Ladies, please! If you feed me any more I'll pop!" 

The three girls stopped bickering and Ryou could almost sence Jade grinning. "Yeah, you tell 'em Ryou!" 

The bell rang for lunch to end and Joey showed up to walk Ryou to his next class. That was also a class Ryou happened to have with Jade, so the three of them headed off together. 

(WSJ: -_-; Ok, ok, sorry... I'll stop now...) 

Amazingly, the day went by fast. The bell rang for the end of school a lot sooner then Ryou expected. He made his way to his locker by feel, and found Yugi and Yami waiting there for him. 

"Hi Ryou," the shorter of the two said. "Do you need us to walk you home? We'll have to hurry, because Grandpa wants Yami and I to help unload some new merchendice when we get back to the shop." 

"That's ok," Ryou said. "I don't have any homework because, well, how'm I supposed to do it? So I don't have anything to carry. If you guys need to go, I'll be fine. I can find my way home by myself." 

"Are you sure?" Yami asked. "Tristan and Joey have soccar practice, and Tea had to leave already to go to dance. Will you be ok?" 

Ryou gave both of them slightly annoyed looks. "Of course! I'll be fine. Better hurry, or Grandpa will take away your decks for being late." 

"He wouldn't dare!" Yami said, but nevertheless, both of them soon departed. 

The school was mostly deserted now as Ryou made his way outside, except for the soccar practice going on in the feild off to the left of the school. Ryou gulped slightly as he began to make his way across the couryard. He hoped he hadn't made a big mistake... 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *oogles* I wrote the whole chapter in one POV... I haven't done that since, what, chapter _one_!?! I'll probably still switch POVs a little, but not as much as before. 

Ryou: *wimpers* I dun wanna do the next chapter... 

WSJ: *grins sadisticly* Too bad Ry-chan! *she snaps her fingers and a huge, menacing shadow appears and grabs Ryou, dragging him back into the far corners of the fic. 

Bakura: *sweatdrops* WSJ... 

WSJ: *innocently* What? 

Chapter 14: Poor Ryou... I guess getting home on your own wasn't as easy as you thought... And what's this? Bakura? Crying? _Singing?!?_ Good grief, what is this world coming too... As the action gets better and the chapters get longer, the end of the fic draws ever nearer.... 

(Bakura: That's it! No more watching Lord of the Rings alone at three AM! 

WSJ: Awww... 'Kura-kun.... 

Bakura: *snaps* And don't call me 'Kura-kun!) 

God bless minna-san! 


	14. Broken Hearted Hikari

WSJ: *dressed in army fatigues, holding a clipboard with a check-list attached to it* Weapons? 

Bakura: *hefts a flamethrower* Check. 

WSJ: Shelids? 

Yugi: *over-turns WSJ's desk and jumps behind it* Check! 

WSJ: Armor? 

Yami: *dressed in tight leather and renessance-style armor (like he wore in the virtual world, only cooler)* Check. 

Ryou: *scratches his head* What now? 

WSJ: *puts down the clipboard and puts on a green army helmet* Well, after this chapter I expect to be over-run with rampaging fangirls, so we should be prepared to defend ourselves. 

Ryou: Oh come on, it can't be that bad... 

WSJ exchanges glances with Bakura, and Yami and Yugi look at her, surprised. 

Yami: You haven't let him read this chapter yet? 

WSJ: No, I still need him for the last two/three/four chapters. If I let him read this one he'd run off and never return. 

Ryou: *still puzzled* Why? I mean, I read chapters 1-13 all right, and they weren't so bad. It can't get much worse, can it? 

WSJ, Bakura, Yami & Yugi: *in unison* *sweatdrop* Oh yes it can... 

Ryou: ^.^;; Oh dear... We don't own YGO... 

WSJ: I'd better answer a couple reviews... Or rather, two in particular... 

Asian Angel 11 -- I wrote a yaoi? *scratches head* If I did, I didn't (still don't) know about it... I really, really don't like yaoi, for both moral and religious reasons. (I know, that sounds really self-righteous, but it's true.) 

White Angel -- 0.0;; *drops to the floor at her feet* OMG!!!!!!!! You actually like this little peice of shimatte!?!?!?!?!?!?! It's soooo nothing at all compared to your fics! (Mutilation is the _bomb_!!!!) I'm so glad you actually bothered to read it! *kicks WA's stupid computer* There, maybe it'll work now... 

Baby Winter -- Hey, weren't you gonna e-mail me? ^_^ I doubt you know what Ryou did, but I'd still love to hear your guess. 

WSJ: Aw fudgit! The second Paradox duel is on... *sighs* I _hate_ that episode... I've seen it about seventy-six-thousand times!!!!!! 

Bakura: *pats her on the back* There there... 

()()()()() 

Visions of the Heart 

Chapter 14 -- Broken-Hearted Hikari 

Ryou walked slowly along the courtyard to the street, running his hand along the chain-link fence so he wouldn't lose his way. Yugi had offered to walk him home, but he'd politely declined, saying he'd be fine. 

His hand encountered cloth suddenly, and Ryou blinked, immediatly pulling his hand away. "Er, sorry..." 

The upperclassmen he'd bumped turned to look at him and a sneer appeared on his face. "Well well, Ryou Bakura. Heard you took a little knock on the head." He placed a hand to his heart and feinged concern. "Poor poor Ryou... Blind as a bat and twice as dumb." 

The voice nearly made Ryou's heart stop. He knew who that was. It was Ushio, the bully who'd gotten a kick out of picking on him until Joey, Yugi and the others started to stand up for him. In fact, if he remembered right, Ushio had once beaten the crap out of Joey, Tristan and Yugi, just for kicks! Hadn't they gotten him expelled for that? 

Ryou swallowed hard and let his head drop into his costomary slouch. Ushio grabbed his chin and made him tilt his face up. As he saw Ryou's dull and obviously unseeing eyes he snickered. "Aw, poor albino baby... Allow me to help!" With that he grabbed Ryou by the collar and lifted him clean off the ground. 

'Oh no, no no no...' Ryou thought, closing his eyes out of habit. Ushio slammed him backwards into the brick wall of the school, saticfied to hear him whimper. "Aw, did I hurt you? I'm sorry... Not!" He tossed Ryou to the ground and planted a kick in his side. With a small cry Ryou stumbled to his feet, only to by knocked down again by a punch to the cheekbone. 

'Nonono owowcrap! Bakura!' But of course there was no mental link, no Bakura to hear him. Ryou coughed weakly as Ushio landed another kick to his side, tasting blood in his mouth. "Please... No..." 

"Had enough wimp? Sorry, but I haven't had a very good day. I think I'll take it out on you." Ushio grinned and continued to beat the innocent little white-haired bishonen. Then, just when Ryou thought the pain couldn't get any worse, it did. Instead of just hurting him physically, Ushio began to taunt him verbally as well. 

"Isn't it a shame?" he sneered as he kneeled all his weight on Ryou's back, pressing him into the ground and causing him to cry out in pain. "Doesn't it just make you feel so worthless? You'll have to depend on people your whole life. You'll always be a burden to those you love the most. Now that father of yours will have to stay home permenantly just to take care of you. Cook your meals, dress you, bathe you, make sure you don't fall down the stairs." 

Ryou whimpered as tears came to his eyes, though no longer from the pain in his body, but the pain in his heart. 'He's right! I'll only be a burden to everyone. It's because of me that Bakura's mortal, I'm surprised he hasn't beaten me for it. He's still so much stronger then me, even without his shadow-powers.' 

"You know I'm right." Ushio continued in an almost conversational way. "And what about those other friends of yours? Yugi and Joey and Jade and them? Do you think that after their sympathy for you wears off that they'll really want to hang around with a cripple?" 

Ryou bit his lip as a sob tore at his throat. 'That's true. Why would they think they need me when they've got each other? Yugi and Yami are like brothers almost. Bakura and I could never be that way. What had made me hope that we could? They all have such big dreams...' Even as he thought this, Ryou could almost hear the voices of the others ringing through his head. 

_"I'm going to be a dancer! The best in the world!" _

"Oh yeah? Well Tris' and Malik an' I are gonna form our own rock group! We'll be way more famous then you Tea!" 

"Sorry, you're both wrong. Yami and I are going to turn the Turtle Game Shop into a world-wide chain of rediculously sucessful game shops! *We'll* be the famous ones!" 

More tears came to Ryou's eyes. 'You all have such big dreams... Such beautiful dreams... And me? I'm just nothing. A no-account loser blind...' 

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v 

"Hey Tris', go long!" 

Tristan laughed and ran backwards several yards as Joey kicked the soccar ball in his direction. He easily stopped it and sent it spinning back his friend's way. The two had just gotten off practice and were now headed home. 

"'Ey," Joey said, holding up a hand for Tristan to be quiet a moment. "Do you 'ear screams?" 

Tristan sobbered and nodded. "Yeah, let's go." 

The two ran around the corner of the school to see Ushio with his back to them, kicking and yelling at something on the ground. From where the two stood, it looked at be a small bundle of white fur. 

"'Ey!" Joey yelled at him. "Leave the poor cat alone!" 

"Joey, that's not a cat!" Tristan gasped, grabbing onto his friend's arm. "That's-" 

Ushio laughed and reached down to grab the thing by the hair. He then lifted it and Joey gaped at him. "You monster!" 

Ryou opened his eyes a bit, his face contorted in pain. "J-Joey, Tristan, get out of here..." he said weakly. "I'm not worth it..." 

"Not worth it?" Joey said, his fists clenched. "Since when is the most sweet, innocent person I know 'not worth it'?" 

Ryou didn't answer. Ushio's taunts had done their work. His spirit was utterly broken, everything about him crushed, both body, soul and spirit. 

Tristan looked over at his friend. "We gotta be careful Jo'. Remember, he beat up both of us once before. And he's likely to try and use Ryou as a human sheild." 

Joey growled. "Yeah, I know, but before we didn't have a reason to fight him. Now we do. Let's go to it." 

Tristan grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "You got it bud." 

With a yell they both ran at him, and Ushio smirked, holding Ryou so that whenever they tried getting close, they'd risk hurting their friend. It looked to Joey that Ryou was already unconcious, or very close to it. They had to help him, fast! He swiped at the sweat on his forehead, and suddenly his mind flashed back to another time, in a much different place. 

"Tristan!" he yelled. "Manuvar Alpha-Yugi!" 

Tristan blinked, and then grinned at him, giving him a nod. "Alpha-Yugi it is!" 

There had been another fight, almost two years ago, in whch a bully had tried to use Yugi as a human-sheild against the two of them. But they'd come up with a way to win, and used the same move now. 

They ran toward Ushio side-by-side, and of course he brought Ryou around, still holding him by his long white hair, to block them. But Tristan and Joey had more then just that simple attack up their sleeve. They immediatly split, and one went to each side. Ushio moved Ryou around to block Tristan, who quickly stopped the punch he'd been aiming at the bully. 

However, on his opposite side, Joey's kick easily got through. 

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^ 

The nurse on duty at the front desk of Domino General Hospital sighed as it began to rain outside, tapping her pencil idly against the desk. Tonight had been pretty quiet so far and she was looking forward to going home early. 

The doors opened and she looked up, and gasped. Two teenage boys, drenched from head to toe, stumbled in. They looked like they'd been in a fight. The shorter of the two, a tough-looking blond kid, was holding a third teen, who looked unconcious, in his arms. "Call a doctor!" he said. "Ryou got beat bad!" 

The nurce nodded and pounded on the emergency button. Within the minute several doctors ran in, each of them gasping as they saw the unconcious boy. His face was a mass of scars and bruises, and his breathing was labored. His clothes were torn and dirty, and cuts and scrapes covered him. 

One doctor stepped forward and took him out of the blond's arms, turning to rush him into the emergency room. The blond started to follow, and another doctor held him back. "He'll be fine. But if one of you would like to go with him, we'll allow that. Are either of you family?" 

Both boys shook their heads. "No," the brunette said. "But we're close friends. We found him near the school, getting beat up by Ushio Tenrio. We managed to chase Ushio off, and then brought Ryou here." 

The doctor nodded. "One of you go in with Ryou, in case he wakes up he'll need a friendly face, and I want the other one to stay here and answer some questions." 

Joey and Tristan looked at each other, and Tristan shrugged. "Go in with him Jo'. I'll call the others from here." 

Joey nodded a thanks to his friend and hurried in the direction the doctor had taken Ryou. 

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^ 

Joey looked up as the door was opened and Yugi, Tristan, Tea and Bakura all tried to cram in at once. They each finally managed to get through, and then stopped short. 

Ryou lay on the bed, paler then a ghost, most of his visible skin wrapped in bandages. Joey sat at his side, one of Ryou's delecate hands cradled in both his rough ones. What surprised the others the most, though, were the tear tracks down Joey's face. 

"Who would do this to him...?" Tea asked, tears already gathering in her eyes as she dropped to her knees next to the bed. "Why would anyone want to hurt him?" 

"Why would anyone want to hurt Yugi?" Tristan asked, coming over to wrap his arms around the crying girl. "Some people are just cruel Tea." 

"Will he be all right Joey?" Yugi asked, walking around to the other side of the bed and taking Ryou's free hand in his, much as he'd done a half-week ago when this same innocent hikari lay unmoving on a tattered old couch. 

Joey shook his head. "I dunno. The docs haven't said much. All I know is that they're gonna have ta' take him into surgery soon. Something about internal bleeding." 

Throughout all of this Bakura stood motionless next to the door, his eyes wide. Even when he'd beaten Ryou... It was never as bad as this. He blinked and something slid down his face. Surprised, he raised a hand to his cheek and was even more surprised when it came away wet. 'Tears? But I haven't cried in, well, five-thousand years!' 

The white-haired yami felt a hand on his shoulder and he yelped slightly, turning to see a man in a long white lab-coat, holding a clipboard. "My name is Doctor Bradley." he said, smiling at Bakura. "Are you Ryou's brother?" 

Bakura blinked. "What? Brother? Oh, er, yeah, his brother..." 

"Do you know how to contact your parents?" 

"Well, no. See, his... I mean, our dad is an archiologist, and he's away on a dig right now. Our mom died several years ago." 

Dr. Bradley frowned a little at that. "Are you older then Ryou? We're not allowed to do anything to him without the concent of an older family member, and I don't think he has much time left." 

At that statment Tea broke down into tears again, and this time Yugi joined her. Joey and Tristan both had tears running down their faces, and Bakura was trying hard not to let his own tears show. "Yes, I'm older. What is it you need my concent for?" 

Dr Bradley looked over Bakura's shoulder at the other four teens gathered around the bed. "Why don't you four go out to the waiting room. We'll tell you the moment we know anything." 

Reluctantly they left, and Dr Bradley turned back to Bakura. "Your brother has a lot of internal bleeding, and if we don't get it stopped he'll die before tomorrow night. Do you give us permission to operate on him?" 

Bakura closed his eyes, trying to banish the image that had suddenly risen before them. Himself, laughing cruelly, throwing Ryou against the windowsill... "Yes," he said, opening his eyes. "Do it. Money is no object." 'I'll get it from Kaiba later.' he added silently. 

Dr Bradley smiled. "Thank you. Oh, here, he was wearing this when he came in." He handed Bakura the Millenium Ring, allowing the yami a small sigh of releif. Even if it was useless, he didn't want it falling into the wrong hands. It might not have had a spirit inside anymore, but it's other powers were still active and accessable. "Go join your friends. Like I said, I'll let you know the moment we know anything." 

Bakura nodded at him and headed for the waiting room. As he stepped in the door, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at him expectantly. Yugi was sitting in the corner, and Yami had emmerged from his soulroom to comfort his aibou. Several seats away Tea was sitting hunched over with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, sobs wracking her slender frame. Tristan sat next to her, his arms around her, still offering what little comfort he could. Joey was prowling around the room, occationally glaring or growling at nothing. 

"They're going to take him into surgery." Bakura said quietly, acting more like his hikari then himself. "If they can stop the bleeding, he's got a pretty good chance of living, so they say." This said, Bakura joined Joey in pacing back and forth. 

Within the next few hours, not much happened. Malik, Serenity, and the Kaiba brothers arrived, Seto for the moment in control. Tea cried herself to sleep and was curled up in one of the chairs. The rest of them read every magazine in the room twice. Never once did Bakura pause in his pacing. 

"Would you stop it?" Yami snapped. "You're making me dizzy!" 

"I'd like to see _you_ stay calm, cool and collected if _your_ aibou was in the ER!" Bakura hissed back, shooting a glare in the Pharoah's direction. 

Joey blinked and leaned over to Malik. "Did Bakura actually just call Ryou his aibou?" 

"Must have been a slip of the tongue." Malik said, equally mystified. 

Before things could get any hotter between the pharoah and the theif, a nurse stepped into the room. "Ryou's out of surgery and resting quietly. He's going to make it." A cheer went up around the room, waking Tea, who then joined in. 

"Can we see 'im?" Joey asked eagerly. 

The nurse shook her head and held up two fingers. "Only two of you, and not for very long. He needs to rest. He isn't even awake yet." 

They looked at each other and Bakura scowled. "I'm going in. Of course." 

Joey shrugged uneasily. "Yug', you go." The others agreed, and as soon as the nurse's back was turned Yami quickly disappeared into his soulroom so he could tag along. 

Bakura and Yugi stepped into the room and took places on either side of the bed. Yugi was startled a moment later as Bakura began to softly sing, leaning down so his mouth was right next to his hikari's ear. At the same time he picked up one of Ryou's limp hands and held it gently next to his heart. It was almost as if he'd forgotten Yugi and Yami were in the room. Yugi was even more surprised to see a suspicious wetness lingering in the grave robber's eyes. 

/Yami, what's he singing?/ 

Yami's mental voice was half amazed, half amused and half disbelieving. //An Egyptian lullaby.// 

/What's it say?/ 

Yami was silent for a moment as he listened through his aibou's ears to the theif's song. //Little one, sleep now, rest for another day. Little one, be quiet now, you are done with play. Be assured that I am here, I will wipe away your tears. Little one, you are not alone anymore.// 

Yugi was stunned. /_Re_-ally? That's what he's singing to the hikari he always beat up on, the one he hated, the one he _blinded_?/ 

//Yes aibou. I think you were right. All of this has allowed him to see Ryou in a new light. We should leave them alone.// 

Yugi nodded and got up to go back to the waiting room, casting one last glance at the holders of the Millenium Ring. Then he turned to go, and Bakura never noticed. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *sniffles* Ohhhhhhh.... 

Yami: *runs through, still in his armor* Man your battlestations! Here they come! 

WSJ: *looks up to see a mass of enraged fangirls, all out for her blood* Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *runs around in a couple frantic circles before finally diving behind the desk with Yugi* Save me! *whimpers* 

Chapter 15: Ryou needs a blood transfusion, and you'll never guess who the only compatable person is! After getting the blood he needs, our little white-haired innocent wakes up, but his spirit is in shreds from Ushio's taunts. Seeing this, Bakura loses it and confronts Ushio, face to face, and a fight ensues. 

God bless minna-san! 


	15. Wounded: Body and Soul

WSJ: *sobs pitifully* 

Ryou: What's the matter with you? Finally admitted that you're being too cruel on me? 

WSJ: *glares* You *sniffle* Wish. *holds up what appears to be a dirty, mangled and trampled plushie* All the fangirls stepped on it! *begins to cry again* 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* Er... Slight lack of vision here 'SJ. What is it? 

WSJ: *sobs* My Otogi plushie!!! It was brand new!!! I don't like him as much as I do you or Bakura or Yami or Yugi or Pegasus, but he was ok... *stops crying suddenly* Actually, now that I think about it, he's _got_ to be one of my least favorite characters! *shivers* I mean... Duke? _Duke?!?_ What kind of a name is Duke, and how do they get that from Otogi? 

Ryou: *shrugs* Same way they get Tea from Anzu and Tristan from Honda, I guess... 

WSJ: *growls* If they mess up Malik's name, I will gather an army of fangirls, storm 4Kids headquarters and _demand_ they change it back to Malik! 

Ryou: *squeals* You go girl! 

WSJ: *looks at him weirdly* 

Ryou: ^.^; Um... I think Ushio hit me harder then I at first thought... *falls over* 

WSJ: 0.o; Oh shimatte... Bakura's gonna kill me... 

Mangled Otogi/Duke plushie: *in a voice more annoying then Mai's dubbed voice and Rini's put together (if that's possible)* WSJ doesn't own YGO. 

WSJ: *snaps her head around* You shut up or I'll feed you to Yami-Malik! 

Mangled Otogi/Duke plushie: Eep! *falls silent after one last squeaky wheeze* 

WSJ: ^_^ Good. Ok, now for those wondering, Jade and her three friends play no part whatsoever in the story. Obviously Jade was supposed to be me, and my three 'lackies' are three of my best friends, Baby Winter, KaTyA and HotaruMaxwell. The armband is Baby Win's 'Millenium Armband', just as the ring around my neck is the 'Millenuim Pendant'. They play no part in this story, I was just putting in a breif plug for our yamis. 

To Jo: Hee hee... You're the only one who caught that CCS star Sakura was the reporter... And no, Madison was doing costumes, Li was on sports, Meilynn was camera and Kero was the co-ancor. *gags* Hey, they'd figure he was some sort of Duel Monster... 

()()()()() 

Visions of the Heart 

Chapter 15 -- Wounded 

After ten minutes several nurses appeared and kicked Bakura out of his hikari's room. Then Dr Bradley had appeared to appraise him on Ryou's current situation. One thing led to another and it was almost a half-an-hour before Bakura shuffled back into the waitingroom. His appearence did not go unnoticed, and within seconds six pairs of sleepy eyes (Tea and Mokuba/Seto were already asleep) were directed on him. 

"Ryou needs a blood transfusion." Bakura said quietly, and Yugi suddenly noticed the tired bags under his eyes and the way his shoulders drooped. "I've already been tested, and I don't match." 

"That's right." Dr Bradley said, coming up behind him. "Does anyone have bloodtype AB?" 

Everyone sadly shook their heads, and when Tea and Mokuba/Seto (now known only as KAIBA. If it's one or the other of them specifically talking I'll put their first name) were woken, they didn't have it either. 

"So that's it?" Yugi asked, close to tears. "Ryou just dies?!? I thought you said he was going to make it!" 

A concerned look on his face, Yami kneeled down and took his aibou into his arms, offering him some comfort. 

Suddenly Joey's brow wrinkled. Not _everyone_ had spoken up. And he seemed to remember... He turned slightly to where his sister was sitting in her chair, staring obstinatly at her shoes. "I'll be right back guys," he said, going to kneel in front of his onee-chan. 

"Serenity?" he asked softly enough so that the others couldn't hear. "Isn't _your_ bloodtype AB?" Joey was surprised to see tears in her eyes as she meekly nodded. "Sere', what's wrong?" 

"It was bad enough when I had my operation..." she whispered. "Please don't make me!" 

One by one, Joey felt his heart-strings snap. He sighed heavily. "I won't Serenity," he said with great effort. "You come before all my friends. But if you don't, Ryou will most probably die." 

Serenity gasped and for the first time looked up and into her brother's eyes. "Y-you mean he'll die, just because I was afraid..." 

Joey nodded, and this time it was him who cast his eyes to the floor. "Serenity, I told you, I won't make you do the transfusion if it scares you. But if you do, I'll be right beside you all the way. We all will be." 

Serenity swallowed hard, and then nodded. "Ok." 

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^ 

"Bakura, wake up! I think Ryou's comin' to!" 

Bakura groaned and tried to roll over in bed, and then remembered he wasn't in a bed, but in a chair next to Ryou's hospital bed. His eyes snapped open as Joey's words penetrated deeper into his sences. It did indeed seem that Ryou was waking up. 

Joey ran out of the room to find the nurces and alert the others, while Bakura held Ryou's hand in eager anticipation. 

"Will he be all right?" 

Bakura looked over at Serenity, who was resting in another bed, a clear plastic tube taped to her inner arm. It was filled with thick, crimson blood that led upward to a sack. A tube connected it to another sack, which led to yet another tube and into Ryou's arm. 

Bakura nodded, and smiled. "Yes. Thank you so much Serenity." 

Serenity grinned and was about to say something in return, when Ryou's eyes cracked open. He still couldn't see, of course, it was just a reflex. 

"Ryou!" Bakura said leaning over his hikari. "Are you all right?" 

He was quiet for a moment, listening to the whiring of a thousand different machines and the steady beep of the heart monitor hooked up to himself. "Where am I?" 

His voice sent chills up Bakura's spine. It was so dead, so flat, so... hopeless. "The hospital. Joey and Tristan brought you in. And they, plus Serenity, saved your life," he added. 

To Bakura's surprise, Ryou suddenly seemed to be fighting tears. "Why? Why did you let them save me?" 

Bakura's jaw dropped, and across the room Serenity's did too. "Because they love you! Because _I_..." he stopped. He couldn't say it, not even now. 

(WSJ: *shoos yaoi-fans* Brotherly love people! Nothin' to see here! How many times do I gotta state 'non-yaoi'?) 

Ryou turned his face away from his dark. "It would have been better if you'd let me die in peace..." 

If Bakura's jaw was floor-level before, it was now somewhere around the region of the center of the earth. "Ryou, what's gotten into you? How could you say it would just be better to die?" Yet even as he said it, a certain scene came to mind... 

_"Yugi! Hurry up and attack now, while I have his Lady of Faith under my control!" _

"No! I can't! It would send you to the graveyard too!" 

"I'd be better off dead then possessed, enslaved_ by an evil spirit!"_

The rest of the gang ran in, but Serenity motioned for them to stay back. The scene really was a rather shocking one. Ryou lay on the bed, his head turned away from his yami, who kneeled at his side with one of Ryou's hands clasped firmly in both of his with a pleading look on his face. 

"Ryou...?" 

Finally Ryou answered his yami, though his reply was soft, and all those in the room had to strain to hear it. "I'm worthless..." 

Yugi gasped and started to step forward, feeling that he had to let his friend know that that just wasn't true. Yami's hand on his shoulder stopped him. //Let them be aibou. This, I think, is something between Ryou and his yami.// 

/But he's almost suicidal! Shouldn't we get involved? At least let him know we're here for him?/ 

//You went through this stage too, my little light. Need I remind you of your second duel with Kaiba? The one where you vowed never to duel again?// 

/Well, yeah, but this is a lot different!/ 

//How?// 

/..../ 

//You see?// 

/...Sort-of.../ 

"Ryou, you're _not_ worthless! Why would you ever think that?" Bakura asked, almost on the point of tears and no longer caring who the hell was in the room to see him. His hikari, his _aibou_ thought he was worth crap! 

"I'm blind," came Ryou's quiet reply. "I'm only a burden. Nothing but a bother for you and dad and Yugi and everyone else, until the day I die..." 

Bakura was momentarily stunned into speechlessness, along with everyone else in the room. After about ten seconds, Bakura got up and stormed toward the door, his eyes daring someone to try and get in his way. The group by the door parted like Moses and the Red Sea, but Bakura was on a search-mission. He singled out Joey and Tristan and grabbed them each by the collar, pulling them close so their noses were only maybe three inches from his own. At such close range, both teens could easily see the rage in the ex-yami's eyes, but also the pain, and the fear. 

"Who did this to him?" Bakura asked in a menacing voice. 

Joey and Tristan both blinked. They'd been scared to death that Bakura was going to beat them to a pulp. "Wha'?" 

"You heard me. Who. Did. This. To. Ryou?" 

"U-Ushio Tenrio." Tristan stuttered. 

"Very good." said Bakura, dropping the brunette and concentrating on Joey. "Now tell me chihuaua, where can I find him?" 

Joey gulped. "P-probably in the alley behind the Crown Arcade, or in the arcade itself. That's usually where he hangs out." 

With that peice of information, Bakura dropped Joey as well and headed for the door. Yugi ran out after him into the corridor, his eyes wide. "Bakura! Wait! You don't actually mean to _fight_ Ushio, do you? You'll be killed!" 

Bakura's eyes flashed menacingly, and suddenly Yugi was very glad that he wasn't Ushio. "Fight? No. I plan to massacre him." That said he spun on his heel and ran out of the hospital, into the rain. He was soaked in an instant, but he didn't care. The only thing on his mind was Ryou, and revenge, and, most of all, Ushio. 

As he neared the roofed alley behind Crown Arcade, he heard drunken laughter and knew that that was where his quarry lie. Sliding easily into the shadows, he crept closer. 

Ushio sat on a crate, two of his loser friends next to him. Empty beer bottles were strewn all over the place, and the flickering back-pourch-light of the arcade cast an eerie glint on their faces. 

'Chikusho! I have the worst luck!' Bakura thought as the light reveiled the identities of the other two drunks as Bandit Keith Howard and Rex Raptor. But he just tightened his fists, more determined then ever to avenge his hikari. 

(WSJ: I heard somewhere that Rex is supposed to be in his twenties. *scratches head* With the voice, I believe it... But really now, is _all_ of Japan made up of midgits? I mean, Yugi, Weevil, Rex, Bones... I'd include Mokuba, but he has an excuse. ^_^ He's young and he's kawaii! Not that Yugi isn't...) 

Bakura crept up behind Rex, and then dove on him, landing a solid punch to his jaw before the midget with strange-ly colored hair (WSJ: He's one to talk!) could react. Bakura may not have practiced in five-thousand years, and he may not have the hightened abilities the Ring gave him, but he could still throw a punch. Rex was down, and out for the fight. That was once less person to worry about. 

Instantly Bakura spun and ducked under the punch Bandit Keith sent his way, then raised his foot and kicked hard at Keith's, well, you know. *clears throat* Now the American, too, was out. 

Something grabbed Bakura by the hair, pulling him down until he was bent over backwards almost double. "Blasted hair!" He saw the leering face of Ushio Tenrio above him, and something glinted. Bakura rolled his head to the side as best he could with Ushio still holding on to his hair, and as a result the knife only slashed a deep gash across Bakura's right cheek, instead of landing square between the eyes, as it was meant to be. 

The tomb robber yelled in pain, and when Ushio went to stab him again, he ducked as best he could. Thankfully (or unthankfully), Ushio was drunk, and his aim was off. The knife slashed through Bakura's hair, leaving it cut raggedly just below the chin. 

Bakura jumped away, and turned to see Ushio blinking stupidly at the handful of silvery-white hair he carried. "All right Ushio, you wanna play like that? Fine, I'll play like that!" He put his hand into his jacket Napolean-style, and drew out the knife he carried in a concealed sheath there. He narrowed his eyes at the upperclassman. 

"Here. We. Go." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Everyone save Joey and Kaiba had been banished back to the waiting room. The only reason Joey was still allowed in was because Serenity was still resting from giving blood, and Kaiba had begged off and left, saying he, er, they had to get home. The doctors were one hundred percent sure that Ryou would recover now, but things got a little awkward when they began to ask about his eyesight. Yugi and Yami had been forced to come up with a real good story real fast. The disease one they used at school wouldn't work here, since the docs had seen Ryou's medical records and knew he had no such sickness. 

"Bakura owes us. Big time," Yami complained as he flopped down into a chair in that same old waitingroom they'd been in for the past seven or eight hours. Yugi nodded his agreement. 

"It's intresting..." Malik said, looking closely at the clock hanging over the nurses station. 

"What's intresting?" Tea asked, going over to stand beside him. 

"Everything always happens to us at midnight. The Locking Rituals (or rather, lack thereof) were at midnight, whatever that reality-flip thing was on Friday happened at noon, which is creepy, and now it's midnight again." 

"Hey, yeah," Yugi said. "And the first duel we had with Bakura, when he turned us all into cards, happened at midnight. Or maybe the duel with Panik happened at midnight... Well, either way, both happened really late at night." 

Yami-Malik, who had desided to come out only a few minutes ago, gave them curious looks. "Turned into cards? I'm assuming this is Duelist Kingdon here, 'cause I'm not remembering any of it." The others nodded at him. 

"Guys, is anyone else worried?" Tristan asked, looking uneasily out the glass doors at the still-pouring rain. "Bakura's been gone for an awful long time, and Ushio's tougher then he looks. Joey and I together could hardly get Ryou away from him earlier today." 

"Gee, yeah..." Tea said. "I hope nothing happened to him..." 

Malik put a hand on her shoulder and guided her reassuringly towards a couch along the wall of the room. "He'll be fine Tea, he's a yami." 

"Ex-yami," Tea said, and then looked pointedly at the Rod, hanging from its usual place on his belt. "And that's what worries me..." Yami, Yugi and Yami-Malik had explained about the spell, and the fact that Bakura was now as human as them, after the two white-haired teens had left the Wheelers on Friday night. 

At that precise moment, thunder shook the hospital, and lightning lit up the doorway, illuminating a figure who had just come in. He was dripping wet and breathing hard and his hair and clothes clung to him, but there was no mistaking those eyes. 

"Bakura!" The entire group yelled, happy that he was ok. 

"Yeah?" he asked, obviously not in the best of moods. 

"Is Ushio even still alive?" Tristan asked, earning him a whack from Tea but a nod from Bakura. 

"What happened to your hair?" Tea asked, and then gasped as he walked farther into the room, as well as the light. "Your cheek...!" 

"It's nothing." Bakura said gruffly as he brushed past them on his way to Ryou's room. Rather unfortunatly, however, a doctor managed to intercept him. 

"Sir, I am afraid I cannot allow you in there in your wet clothes. And that slash looks deep, you need to let someone see to it." 

"Look," Bakura said. "It's midnight. I'm tired. I want to see my brother. Now let me through!" 

"I'm afraid I must insist, sir." 

Bakura sighed, but wasn't in any mood to argue farther. He changed out of his wet clothes and into a terry-cloth bathrobe. He allowed the doctor to look at his cheek, and even tolerated the six stitches he was forced to get. Then, and only then, was he allowed into Ryou's room. 

Joey and Serenity looked up as he entered, and Serenity gasped softly. "Bakura!" 

"It's _nothing_." he insisted, heading toward his hikari's bed on the far side of the room. "My cheek is _fine_." 

Joey chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Actually Bakura, I think she was exclaimin' over that mowhawk a' yours." 

Bakura growled. "Shut it chihuaua!" he said tightly, and then immediatly afterwards bit down on a yawn, and then a yelp as the yawn stretched his newly-sewn cheek. He let out a string of curses in Egyptian, ran out, and switched to Japanese. 

Joey laughed and was about to say something, but Serenity put a hand on his arm. "Leave him alone for the night Joey. Are you and the others all planning to spend the night here?" 

"You and I are." Joey said. "I called both mom and dad. I know Yam' and Yug' are both stayin', and I'm pretty sure Malik and 'is yami are stayin' too. I dunno about Tristan an' Tea." 

Serenity nodded. "Well, g'night onii-san." 

"G'night onee-chan." Joey leaned down and gave her a kiss good-night, then headed for the waitingroom, where the hospital staff had allowed them to each claim a couch for the night. Yami and Yami-Malik were both sleeping out of their soulrooms, because the poor staff were confused enough as it is! Three sets of 'twins', and one member of two of them keep disappearing and popping up again! 

As Serenity's breathing in the other bed became lighter and softer, betraying the fact that she was asleep, Bakura threw himself down in an armchair that had been placed next to Ryou's bed for him. Within a matter of moments he was asleep, snoring lightly. 

Ryou waited several minutes, to make sure that both of the other two were sound asleep, and then sat up. He had to be careful of all the wires and tubes and stuff stuck to him in various places, but managed it. 

He'd heard Joey and Serenity talking about Bakura. They hadn't even bothered to keep their voices down once he was 'asleep'. He'd heard them say that he'd gone to fight Ushio. 

"Would you really do that for me, mou hitori no boku? [the other me, my other half]" Curious as to why Bakura had mentioned his cheek, Ryou felt around at about bed-level with his IV-free arm until his searching fingers encountered his yami's knee. From there he found his arm, and then his face. 

Ryou was rather surprised to find that Bakura's hair was now much shorter then the last time he'd, well, looked. But he continued up, and ran his fingers lightly over the skin of his yami's face, until he encountered a long line of rough skin, and what was undoubtably stitches. 

Even in his sleep, Bakura hissed a little at the pain, and Ryou jerked his hand away, sitting back somewhat to think. "You got wounded... For me? Why me?" 

The questions were ment to be rhytorical, and he jumped slightly when they got answered. 

"You're forgetting who you learned how to fake sleeping from. _Yes_ for you! That's why I fought him in the first place, to prove to you that you are worth it!!! And as for your second question," Bakura paused, and shrugged. "Because you are my aibou." 

Ryou smiled, a genuine smile, and even in their dullness his eyes lit up. "Do you know how long I've wished for you to actually care enough to call me that?" 

Bakura chuckled as he helped Ryou get settled in the bed again. "Jealous of the Motos, were we?" 

There was a pause, and then Ryou sweatdropped. "Yes..." 

Bakura shook his head in amusment. "G'night hikari." 

"Good night yami." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *gags on the fluff* Good grief! Any more syrup and we'd have to make some pancakes to put it on!!! *whistles* Guess what peeps! Third to last chapter! This'll run exactly seventeen chapters, so stay tuned! *winks* From here, it gets better. I promise. 

Chapter 16: It's two days later, Wednesday. Ryou's just gotten out of the hospital, and everyone throws him a party at the Game Shop! However, their fun doesn't last. Ryou and Bakura go home to find *gasp* RYOU'S FATHER! *dun dun dun...* 

God bless minna-san! 


	16. Healing and Reincarnation

WSJ: *rubs hands together in anticipation* Second to last chapter people! Let's make it good so we can get to the cast party! 

YGO gang: Cast party!?! 

WSJ: *giggles and nods* Cast party. We're gonna celebrate the end of VotH and the beginning of SoS, the sequel! 

Everyone's faces fall at the word 'sequel', and they groan in tandem. 

WSJ: *indignantly* Hey! 

Serenity: *sweatdrops* 'SJ, I've read your rough drafts, and they aren't pretty... 

Ryou: *grins* I like them. I'm cool! 

Bakura: *sweatdrops* Yes Ryou, we know. You've told us at least seventeen times since you found out WSJ made you a t- *is silenced when WSJ slaps her hand over his mouth* 

Ryou: *shudders* After this one, I don't know if _anything_ could be as harsh... 

WSJ: *grins evilly* 

Ryou: *shudders again in dread* 

WSJ: *sniffles* Poor Ry-chan... I really hate to do this to him... I guess the full force of what had happened hadn't hit him. 

()()()()() 

"Welcome home Ryou!" 

The game shop had been specially decorated, even though the guest of honor could see none of it. Blue and white streamers, Ryou's favorite colors, adorned every possible surface you could hang a steamer from. A card table had been set up in the middle of the room, and on it sat a huge cake, baked by Serenity and Tea, shaped like the Change of Heart. The black wing was chocolate, of course, the white wing vanella and the body marble. 

Ryou stood just inside the doorway, Bakura standing next to him and trying to hide a grin from the rest of the room. The hikari's mouth was wide open in shock, and for a moment Yugi was afraid he was going to faint dead away. 

"Th-thank you!" he stammered, stunned beyond belief. "You really didn't have to..." 

"Course we did!" Tristan said. "You're our bud Ryou, you deserve it!" 

It was two days later, Wednesday, after school. Ryou had just been released from the hospital, and Bakura had agreed to bring him to the Game Shop for a surprise welcome home party. 

"Lemonade?" Tea asked. He nodded happily, and she poured him a cup. 

"An' after we 'ave cake, I wanna duel ya' Ryou!" Joey said enthusistically. "I nev'a did get ta' see much a' your deck. Other then that Man-Eater Bug..." He, along with Tristan, Tea and Yugi, shuddered at that recollection, and Bakura grinned at their discomfort. 

Ryou brough his hand up until it rested on the front pocket of his jacket, where his Dueling Deck always lay. His face transformed into a look of vague horror, and then he said quietly, "I can't," 

The room went silent, as the reason for this statement dawned on each of them. All except Joey, that is. "So, ya' scared to duel the second best in the Duelist Kingdom?" he asked, puffing up his chest and grinning. Tristan scowled at him and Malik elbowed him in the side. The blond had the courtesy to look confused. "What?" 

Ryou was close to tears. "I-I can't see the cards..." 

Joey's eyes widened and his jaw shut with a snap. "Oh man Ryou! I didn't mean-" 

"We know Joey," Yami said, putting his hand on the blond's shoulder. "I don't think any of us were thinking there for a moment." 

Bakura scowled, wishing he could put a comforting arm around Ryou or _something_, but he had to keep up appearences for Yami and the others. Besides, Serenity, Tea and Yugi were doing their best to comfort him as it was. 

The poor boy looked devestated. He might not have shown it quite as much as Yugi or Joey did, but he was just as much of a Duel Monsters fanatic as them. The very thought of never being able to play again... 

"I'm ready to go home..." he whispered softly, his face cast downward. Bakura nodded and stepped forward, taking his hikari gently by the arm to lead him out of the shop. 

Yugi looked up at his other questioningly. /Look at Bakura./ 

//Strange, he looks... Caring? No, that's not quite the right word for it...// 

/Gentle? Sympathetic?/ 

//Yes. I don't think we have to worry about Ryou any more.// 

Yugi breathed a small sigh of relief and grinned widely. /I'm glad./ 

Yami, on the other hand, had a small frown on his face. //I am too aibou, but there is something else. I sence a power coming from Ryou. It is unlike anything I have ever felt before. It is not the Ring, or any Millenium Item that I know of. I don't think it is even magical.// 

/Should we worry about it?/ 

//I don't think so. Whatever it is, it is coming _from_ Ryou, and would not be a threat to him. We will just keep an eye on it, and I'll try my best to figure out what it is.// 

"Ryou, will you be all right?" Bakura asked softly as the two of them made their way down the street toward the Bakura house. 

Ryou gulped and nodded. "I-I guess... It just came as a shock..." 

Bakura frowned as they neared Ryou's, no, _their_ home. "Do you know anyone who drives a dark blue Ford SUV?" He felt Ryou shudder under his hands, and looked down to see his hikari's eyes wide in surprise. 

"My dad." 

Bakura cursed, and then for the sake of forcefulness repeated it in Egyptian. "What the hell are we supposed to tell him?!? I was planning on at least having another week to come up with something!" 

The concealed anger in his yami's voice made Ryou tremble, and Bakura immediatly regretted being so harsh. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. 

"We'll have to tell him the truth... You're forgetting, my dad's the one who gave me the Ring in the first place. He even said when he gave it to me that he felt drawn to it, like it was magical." Ryou said. 

"Do you think he'll actually believe us?" Bakura asked, giving his other a side-ways look. 

Ryou shrugged. "Can you think of anything better?" 

Bakura sighed and shook his head, holding the door open as he ushered his hikari inside. "Dad, I'm home!" Ryou called. 

"Oh, Ryou," his dad said coming out of the kitchen. "How was scho-" He stopped as he saw Ryou with Bakura beside him, a hand placed protectively on his hikari's shoulder. To the surprise of both of them, he just sighed. "I knew this day would come," he whispered. Then, louder, "I know one of you is my son, and one of you is the Spirit of the Ring. So which is which?" 

Ryou blinked and took a step forward. "I'm me dad. And, as you said, this is Bakura, the Spirit of the Ring. But how would you know?" 

"It's a very long story," Shen Bakura sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "And one that involves your mother." 

"Mom?" Ryou asked, surprised. She had died several years ago, when he was only six, about a year after he'd gotten the Ring. 

Shen nodded, and was about to say more, when he suddenly noticed the mostly-healed slash across Bakura's cheek, and the various cuts and bruises that peeked out from under Ryou's sleeves. "What happened?" 

Bakura winced, and Ryou sighed. "That is a very long story too..." 

"And we'd have to tell it sooner or later anyway." Bakura growled, again taking his hikari by the arm. "Com'on, let's go sit down and get started." 

The three took seats in the livingroom, Ryou and Bakura on the couch and Shen in a chair across from them. Ryou first told about what had happened just after he'd gotten the Ring, when Bakura had first been released, and when the beatings started. When he reached present day and told, with much sobbing and help from Bakura, how he'd been blinded, Shen almost strangled Bakura before Ryou got him to calm down. 

Bakura traded seats with Shen, so that father and son could sit together. From here on he did most of the talking. He told about the Shadow Realm and the Locking Rituals, carefully leaving out the fact that he had almost sacrificed himself for Ryou's sake, saying simply that Yami and Yugi, (who he quickly explained about) got them out. He told about the fight(s) with Ushio, and Ryou's stay in the hospital. 

He purposfully didn't tell about the murder convictions, or the stay in jail. He presumed that Shen had been caught in the glamour of Kaiba's false death along with everyone else, and he was right. 

By the time Bakura'd finished, he had tears running down his face along with Shen and Ryou. 

"So you are a mortal?" Shen asked. Bakura nodded, and Ryou's father looked thoughtful. "I suppose you'll continue to live here?" 

"If you'll let me. I swear, I'll never hurt Ryou again. I was just blinded by my own want for power." Bakura said, and Ryou placed a hand on his father's arm. 

"He's telling the truth dad. Bakura won't hurt me." 

Shen considered for a moment, then hesitantly nodded. Ryou breathed a sigh of relief and gave his dad a quick hug. "Thank you. Now what about mom? How do you know about Bakura?" 

Shen sat silent for several moments, contemplating. "Your mother was a wonderful woman Ryou. She had beauty like no one I've ever seen. Long blond hair and the biggest green eyes I've ever seen on a human." Shen stopped and chuckled sadly. "And she was very, very talented. She never told me right out, but I think she was something of a psycic. Sometimes she would say something, just an off-hand comment, almost a 'what-if' sort of sentence, and then later it would come true. She knew you were a boy even before the doctors knew you were coming. 

"When I first took up archeology, she would travel around with me. She was actually the one who first found the Millenium Ring. She said she senced a power from it, and that you were meant to have it. Later, she told me that the power she felt was another presence, a spirit, you," he said, motioning at Bakura. 

"And that's really all I know about it. She was so beautiful, and I loved her very much..." 

Neither Ryou nor Shen noticed that in the seat across from them Bakura had tenced up. "I know you told me a long time ago, but what was her name, Ryou?" he asked tightly. 

"Angeline..." Both Ryou and his father said at the same time. 

Bakura heard the name, choked, and nearly broke down into sobs. "Anjil..." 

Ryou shrugged at his father and went to kneel in front of his yami. "Bakura, what is it?" 

Bakura looked at his hikari with tear-stianed eyes. "Bekhura... My name was Bekhura..." he said, almost to himself. "And Anjil... I thought she'd be with me forever..." 

"Bakura, you're not making sence." Ryou said, clearly puzzled. 

Bakura looked him sharply, both having long-forgotten that Shen was there. "Not making sence? I'll tell you what doesn't make sence! How are you to be my desendant if I never had children?" 

Ryou blinked as the realization hit him, several question marks dancing around his head. "Erm..." 

Bakura looked down at the floor, a single tear dripping from off the end of his nose to land on Ryou's hand. "Anjil and I were meant to be, I swear. She and I were both slaves, and grew up together. When I ran away and started robbing tombs, she came too. She _wanted_ to. And..." Bakura trailed off, his mind in a different time. 

After a time he continued, his voice more husky then before. "We had a daughter. Heaven knows how she survived that Ra-forsaken land called Egypt... We left her at the palace, and," Here Bakura paused to chuckle a little. "The _irony_ of it all! The pharoah raised her as his own!" 

Ryou's jaw dropped. "_Yami_ raised your daughter?!? Does he know?" 

Bakura shook his head, still chuckling. "No. I-We never told him. Anjil got caught robbing a tomb one day, and I convinced the guards to take me instead of her." 

"_That's_ how Yami got ahold of you to seal you in the Ring!" Ryou gasped. 

Bakura nodded. "You didn't think he'd actually caught me on his own, did you? No, I gave myself up so she'd go free. Strange that while she was my lover, she was reincarnated as your mother." he mused. 

Ryou suddenly remembered what his dad had been saying a moment before, about his suspicions that his mom had been a psycic. His mind flashed back to one particular memory of when he was five... 

_Little Ryou ran inside crying, looking for his mother. "Mommy mommy, where are you?" _

Angeline Bakura stepped out of her room, kneeling down to sweep her son into her arms. "What's wrong?" 

Ryou sniffled and held out his slightly cut finger to her. "I gots a boo-boo!" 

Angeline smiled and planted a kiss on it. "All better, my little Bekhura?" 

"Wha's that Mommy?" 

"Bekhura? Just a name, child, the name of someone I loved very much..." 

"I wonder..." Ryou said, hesitantly. "I wonder if she knew?" 

Bakura stared at him for an instant, eyes wide in disbelief, before breaking down into tears completely. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: O.o; I have absolutly _no_ idea where that came from... The last chapter will probably be pretty short, I just have a couple loose ends to tie up. 

~~At the cast party...~~ 

Yami-Malik: *wolf-whistles at Serenity* Hey babe! How'd ya' like to come over here and lay a little something on the guy that killed Kuroi? 

Serenity: *grossed out* Ewww... Onii-san! Your friend's idiot yami is trying to hit on me! 

Joey: -.-; He does that... Jus' ignore 'im... 

Yami: *glaring at Yami-Malik* Do I have to remind you that it was I who killed Kuroi? 

Yami-Malik: Wow... Spiffy rhymes... *shakes head* And it was not! I fired two energy blasts at him! 

Yami: _I_ Mind Crushed him! 

Yami-Malik: *growls* 

The two get into a typical anime/Warner Brothers Bugs-and-Daffy fight. You know, the ones with the big dust clouds and little red an' yella' stars and swirly-thingyes? -_* Yeah, those... 

Malik: *eating chips as he watches them fight* Ten bucks says Yami wins. 

Ryou: You're betting against your own other? 

Malik: *shrugs* Yeah? So? Even _I_ can beat up my yami. _You're_ the one who had trouble in the physical-strengths department. 

Ryou: ;_; That hurt... 

WSJ: *grins* You're on Malik! Your yami'll use the Rod and stab Yami... Or something... 

Malik: -.o; D'oh! 

Ten minutes go by, and still the fight appears to be nowhere near ending. The rest of the cast has now started taking bets on whether or not this fight would actually end before the end of the fic. 

Joey: Twenty bucks says one of 'em dies! 

Kaiba: *trying to hold back a snicker* You're on chihuaua! 

Tristan: *leans over to Joey* You do know you just lost a bet, right? Neither of them can die, they're _both_ immortal. 

Kaiba: *snickers louder* 

Joey: -_-; Greeeeat... Thanks for warnin' me earlier Tris'... *hands Kaiba twenty bucks, who hands it immediatly to Tristan* Whaaaat!?!?!? 

Tristan: *shrugs and stuffs the money into his pocket* He owed me money! 

Joey: HE'S A MILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Tristan: He's also not legally old enough to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Kaiba(Seto): -.- Getting stuck in a ten-year-old's body sucks... 

Kaiba(Mokuba): Hey! 

Joey and Tristan get into another dust-cloud-fight. 

Tea: Dibs on the cash! I say that Tristan wins. 

Isis: *grins* I'm in. My money's on Joey. 

WSJ: *shrugs and snags a brownie off the refreshments table* I'm with ya' there. Joey can _fight_! *bites into the brownie, then spits it out* WHO PUT NUTS IN THESE!?!?!?!?!?!? 

Cast: Ewww! Hentai! *backs away* 

WSJ: X+ That's not what I meant you morons!!!!!!! *sees a snickering Bakura, high-fiving a snickering Jonathon* Ugh... I should have known... 

Ryou: Double trouble, aren't they? 

WSJ: *groans and slaps herself on the forehead* There's gotta be a really bad analogy to Team Rocket in there, but I dun' wanna find it... 

About Shen and Angeline Bakura: My personal theory is that Ryou's dad is Japanese, and his mother is English. Think about it; both his first and last names, Ryou Bakura, are obviously Japanese, and in the flashback during "Evil Spirit of the Ring", his dad has really dark (blue?) hair, thus strengthening my theory. 

However, Ryou has very light hair, and since his dad has dark, he must get it from his mom. We know Ryou isn't an albino, because he has brown eyes. If he was trully albino his eyes would be reddish-pink. _So_, his mom must have light hair. Check. Also, he had to get his accent from somewhere, thus completing my theory with the fact that his mother was English. Thank you. *bows* 

Chapter 17: Story's finale/epiloge. Three weeks later, and most everything is back to normal. Shen, Bakura and Ryou visit Angeline/Anjil's grave, and Bakura finally has the chance to say good-bye. Ryou experiences something intresting. Could it be that his mother's powers lie also in him? 

God bless minna-san! 


	17. Epiloge: Visions of the Heart

~~Still at the cast party~~ 

Kaiba: *stuffs a hand-full popcorn in his mouth* Chikusho, look at 'em go! 

WSJ: *eyes him* That'd better be you Seto, because I don't like hearing Mokuba cuss... 

Kaiba: *begins to sweat* Er, yeah! It's me! *laughs falsly* 

Yugi: *also eating popcorn* Jeez... My yami can really fight... *ducks to the left as a ripped-off limb comes flying at him* 

Tea: *grimaces as she pokes at the dismembered peice* 'SJ!!! You're getting gruesome!!! 

WSJ: *giggles evilly* Yeah, well... 

Malik: Hey look! I think they're stopping! 

Indeed, both dust-clouds were beginning to settle. Who won? Were they even still alive!?! The cast leans closer to find out... 

()()()()() 

Visions of the Heart 

Epiloge -- Visions of the Heart 

~Three weeks later~ 

Bakura smiled sadly as he placed the small bouquet of white roses next to Angeline Bakura's grave. Shen and Ryou stood on either side of him, heads bowed slightly, each immerced in their own, private thoughts and memories. 

The tomb robber, however, was thinking of nothing but his partner in crime, his beloved Anjil. He'd never even had a chance to tell her good-bye. That stupid Pharoah had stripped him of his dignity and his life, and he'd never found out what happened to his lover. 

"Curse you Pharoah..." he whispered harshly as a tear rolled down his cheek. 

"What about me?" 

Bakura turned in surprise to see Yami, Yugi farther behind him. "What are you doing here pharoah?" 

"Presumably the same thing as you, visiting my hikari's deceased parent." Yami drew Bakura a bit farther away from where Ryou and Shen now stood talking with Yugi. "Anjil?" 

Bakura jerked and glared at Yami. "What do you mean?" 

Yami smiled sadly. "I know all about you and Anjil, and I know she was reincarnated. I know everyone who has been reincarnated from our time, even if they themselves do not know it." The Eye of Re glowed breifly on his forehead, and Bakura scowled at him. 

"All right then, tell me; what business is it of yours?" 

"Anjil did not die alone in the desert, as you have guessed. Ra and Shahi took her into the palace where she died several years later of an ill meeting with a desert scorpian." Yami said, naming with a trace of longing his long-dead wife and 'daughter'. 

Bakura's scowl deepened as he tried to swallow the lump suddenly forming in his throat. "How would you know?" 

Again, the Eye glowed briefly on the former-pharoah's forehead. "Several years ago Angeline herself told me. She really was a psycic, or rather, a telepath. The word psycic implies something plastic and super-ficial. She contacted me herself, once she knew that the cancer would take her, and told me to tell you and Ryou when you were ready." 

Bakura was momentarily stunned. "So she did know?" 

Yami nodded. "She always knew." 

Bakura gazed over at his hikari as he laughed at something Yugi had said, along with the midget. "And Ryou..." 

Yami nodded, his eyes softening. "Yes, he is. Help him Bakura, we can't let the power he holds get too out of control." 

Bakura nodded. "I will. Mark my words. Coincidentally, how much of this does Yugi know?" 

"None of it," Yami said. "It is none of our business. If you or Ryou choses to tell him however, that is your desision, and yours alone." 

Bakura cast him a side-ways glance. "So now you're leaving me to tell this to my hikari?" 

"Your hikari? You actually admit you have a lighter side?" 

Bakura smiled slightly, not looking at the Pharoah, but instead at Ryou. "Yes, I do, finally. He is my aibou." 

Yami clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's about time... Brother." 

(WSJ: No, not literally brother, like Bakura and Jonathon are brothers. Just a general sence of kinship. I mean, come on! These guys are practically the last ones of their own era left!) 

Later on, Shen took Ryou and Bakura out for pizza and then to the libary to find a book on braille for Ryou. Bakura suddenly became eager to learn to read English after he spotted a mystery/horror novel that looked particularly chilling. 

"Only you Bakura..." Ryou sighed. "Only you would learn a whole 'nother language for the sake of one murder mystery..." 

Once they got home it was almost ten-oh-clock, and Shen had headed to his room for the night, yawning. Ryou and Bakura regrouped to Ryou's room. 

Ryou sat on his bed, running a brush through his long white hair. Bakura stood over by the window, his hands resting lightly on the sill, looking out at the full moon and stars. 

"Ryou?" he asked, half-turning to look at his hikari. 

"Hm?" 

Bakura bit his lip slightly. "That first night, when you dreamed about Pegasus and Jonathon, and Kaiba got put into Mokuba's body, did they tell you what happened during the ceremonies?" 

Ryou shook his head. "No. They said you'd tell me when you were ready." 

Bakura sighed in relief and turned back to the window. "Maybe I will. Eventually." 

Ryou smiled faintly and put the brush down beside him on the bed. He cocked his head at his yami and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I heard your lullaby at the hospital." he said quietly. 

Bakura blinked. "You-you did? But you were completly knocked out and besides, I sang it in Egyptian!" 

Ryou chuckled and placed his hand over his heart. "You have a lot to learn about being human, Bakura. The heart hears a lot more then just the ears can." 

Bakura gazed out at the stars as Ryou got off the bed and felt his way over to stand beside him. They stood silent for a moment, yami and hikari together, and then Ryou felt his yami's hand on his shoulder. "I look forward to learning." 

Standing at peace with his yami, after so long, Ryou smiled. Visions danced in front of his minds eye. 

He saw Yugi, laying unmoving and pale in a bed, the only sourse of light in the dark room being the Eye of Re which glowed faintly on his forehead. 

He saw the woman he instantly knew to be Serenity Wheeler, although he'd never actually seen her face-to-face. Her clothes were torn and dirty, and her face was smudged with mud. She was crying, and reached out to him. 

He saw Isis and Malik, bickering as they always seemed to be, with Yami-Malik standing nearby and looking vaguely puzzled. 

He saw Tristan and Tea, clinging to each other. They looked as if the world was falling down around their ears, and they could do nothing to stop it. 

He saw Joey, standing in the middle of a dark corridor, possibly a portion of the Shadow Realm, summoning his Red Eyes Black Dragon to fight something in the darkness that Ryou couldn't quite see. 

And he saw his mother, smiling at him as she held out her arms for a hug, a great light shining behind her and a gentle breeze of some kind tosseling her hair. 'My Ryou,' she said in words Ryou couldn't hear, but understood. 'My Bekhura...' 

In the coming weeks and months, those visions would continue to bother Ryou, and he could never quite put his finger on why. He later learned the reason, of course, but that is a much different story I shall tell you another time. 

But that night, as his visions faded, he suddenly saw, in a moment of clarity, just exactly how he and Bakura looked at that moment, standing together next to his bedroom window. 

Their faces were reflected back at them in the glass, bathed in soft silver moonlight. They shimmered there, completly identical, right down to the small smiles they both wore, save the dullness in one's eyes and the scar running down the cheek of the other. 

Somewhere in the house a clock began to strike twelve. 

It was tomorrow. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *groans and begins to dig through her pockets* Aw man... Why're you always right...? *hands Malik ten dollars and forks over five dollars, along with Isis, for Tea* 

Yami: *grins tiredly* 

Tristan: *yells happily* I made WSJ give up money! *dances around happily* 

Yami and Tristan had won. Yami-Malik was in the middle of the room, hod-tied with paper-towels. The empty roll was then stuffed in his mouth. Joey was tangled up in Tristan's trench coat, which he'd had the foresight to take off and use like a net. Strangely enough, the ripped-off limb that Yugi had ducked didn't belong to anyone in the room, although the armbands on it signaled it as possibly belonging to Duke Devlin. 

Ryou: *blinks* This is really the end?!? 

WSJ: *nods sadly* Go bye-bye... 

Ryou: Yay! ^_^ Can I take these things out now? 

WSJ: *nods* 

Ryou: *pops a contact out of each eye, revealing that his eyes are, in fact, intact and normal* 

Bakura: THE %#@)&#&^@(?????? 

Ryou: ^__^ Contacts to make my eyes look dull. You didn't throw me as hard as you thought Kura-kun. 

Bakura: *sighs in releif* 

Isis: *still miffed that she lost the bet* Can we go now that this dreadful story is over and done? 

WSJ: *a little hurt that Isis called the story 'dreadful', but nods. Everyone turns to leave* Oh no you don't! Isis, you can go. Kaiba, I won't need you for awhile either. Everyone else, we have SoS to work on! 

Cast: *groans* 

WSJ: *pulls out a remote control and presses a button. The lights dim and a huge screen desends from the ceiling. A projector comes on and begins to show the preview for SoS* 

**Sacrifice of Shadows: Sequel to Visions of the Heart!**

Cast: *half-heartedly* Whoopie... 

**The Locking Rituals weren't completed, and the Shadow Realm still needs a pure heart. It has chosen, and this time it won't let _anyone_, mortal or no, get in its way. Yugi and Malik have fallen to a mysterious disease, Joey's sister has gone missing, and Ryou's got a secret to hide. Now it's up to Ryou, Bakura and Joey to enter the Shadow Realm and dispell all evil, once and for all.**

Joey: *sweatdrops* Great, I get a main roll now? 

**Couples:**

Yami: o.o; Ack! You're turning it into a romance?!? 

WSJ: No, just hints and such. 

**Joey/Mai**

Kaiba: *sweatdrops* Mai? But you didn't even have her in this story! 

WSJ: I know. She won't be in SoS either, except for the last chapter, but Joey talks about her a lot. 

**Hints of both Tea/Tristan and Tea/Malik**

Malik & Tristan: *groan* 

**Possible Ryou/Serenity and/or Bakura/Serenity**

WSJ: *contemplates* I dunno about that one yet... You'll have 'ta let me know whether or not you wnat it to turn out that way. Because with the others it'll be just a sort-of side-dish. But if you guys want it to be Ryou/Serenity/Bakura, it'll definatly be part of the major plot. 

WSJ: ^__^ Anyway! I'm glad you all loved this so much, and please stay tuned for the sequel! Ja! 

God bless minna-san! 


End file.
